Suddenly
by may1331
Summary: Draco Malfoy is now a Muggle doctor.  During the nightshift, victims of a fatal car crash come into the ER and Draco works to save their lives.  Little did he know, it leads him to start a friendship and connect with the daughter of the car crash victims.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Potter-related.

A bit of background: It's been about ten years since the end of the war and the Battle of Hogwarts. Draco Malfoy completely turned his life around and left the Wizarding World in favor of being a Muggle doctor. He still keeps up with the Wizarding World through his girlfriend and mother, but for the most part, steers clear of it. He wanted a new start and could only get that in the Muggle world. I guess he's somewhat OOC, but I like to think that he's matured from Hogwarts and learned a few things about himself.

Thanks for reading!

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><p>Draco Malfoy glanced at the clock above the nurse's desk. There were five more hours until he was off. He sighed loudly, already bored, and picked up a pen and quickly signed a few papers before closing the folder and handing it to the nurse who sat in front of him.<p>

He sat down and grabbed the nearest chart to read. He took a bite of his apple with a loud crunch and opened the folder, but didn't really read what was before him. Instead, he thought about something his mother had said to him when he spoke to her earlier.

She was telling him about the recent wedding of two old friends of his, Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson. He couldn't make it since he was worked the same evening, but Draco had sent his girlfriend, Astoria Greengrass, in his absence.

His mother had gone on and on about the wedding, dropping hints that she was expecting a wedding for him and Astoria soon. Draco rolled his eyes just thinking about it. He didn't want to get married yet. He wasn't even sure if Astoria was the girl he wanted to marry. He knew Astoria disapproved of his life's choices and decisions.

Draco thought back to the war that changed his life. He still had the faint markings of an ugly tattoo on his left forearm. It was ten years ago, but it felt like a whole different lifetime.

He was no longer that same person. He was no longer the coward who ran away with his parents during the final battle. He was no longer the person who ridiculed and put down others because he believed them to be beneath him.

No, he was no longer that person. He changed. The war affected him greatly and made him want to be a better person. He wanted to help people and he wanted to save people. But if that were to happen, Draco knew he couldn't stay in the wizard world. Nobody would accept him. They'd see the Malfoy name and judge him. They'd see the remnants of the Dark Mark on his left forearm and remember the evil and destruction that the other Death Eaters caused.

So he left that world. He went to university and graduated with honors. He completed medical school and was currently serving his residency at the best teaching hospital in London. He didn't keep up with much in the wizarding world, though he still kept in touch with his old Slytherin friends from Hogwarts. And he was dating Astoria, a pureblood witch from one of the oldest wizarding families. His mother and Astoria always tried to include him in any of the wizarding news, hoping to pull him back into their world, but Draco never cared for any of it. He would listen and comment, but he never asked them about anything.

They were his only two ties to the wizarding world. He still kept his wand because he felt attached to it, but he no longer carried it with him. He still practiced magic when he was at home, but he preferred to use a combination of Muggle and wizarding ways.

Draco took the last bite of his apple before tossing it into the trash. He closed the folder and looked back at the clock. He was on nightshift duty and it was going by extremely slowly.

"Hey, Malfoy?"

Draco looked up and saw one of his fellow residents walking toward him. "What's up, Lopez?"

"If you're not doing anything—and that's what it looks like—do you mind running up to CT and grabbing some scans for me? I got paged into the OR."

Draco rolled his eyes. "How about you get the scans yourself and I'll go into the OR?"

"No chance, Malfoy. I've been on the Roberts case all week. I know what's going on."

"If you knew what was going on, your patient wouldn't be in the OR, now, would she?"

Lopez narrowed her eyes at him. "Just get the scans." She turned on her heel to walk away.

"I didn't hear a 'please.'" Draco smirked as Lopez circled around. He could practically see smoke coming from her ears.

She rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in exasperation. "Fine. PLEASE!" she nearly yelled. Her pager alarmed loudly and she looked at it, shooting Draco an angry look. Without another word, she ran down the hall and pushed the button for the elevator repeatedly until it came and she disappeared behind the steel doors.

Draco laughed as the nurse shook her head in disapproval. "What?" he asked, defensively.

"Residents," she answered, still shaking her head. "Always just out for yourself."

"Hey—and our patients!"

The nurse smiled in amusement. "Whatever you say, Malfoy. But I suggest you hurry up with those scans or it really will be all of you out for yourself."

"Ooh, you're right." Draco jumped up. "Chief's picking a chief resident soon. I better be on the short list for that!" He winked at the nurse and quickly hurried down the hall. "Page me if anything changes with the patient in trauma room 4. We're waiting for him to stabilize before moving him."

The nurse nodded her understanding. Draco turned from the direction of the nurse's desk and pushed the button on the elevator. He hurried up to CT and grabbed the scans that Lopez needed and dropped it off at the patient's room.

He whistled as he leisurely headed back to the emergency room. It was a slow night, so he had no rush. And if a trauma came in, he would be paged. Draco decided to take a quick detour to the vending machines. The cafeteria would be closed, he knew, but he wanted a snack. Draco shoved his hands into his pockets to find any loose change. He chuckled softly, remembering how long it took for him to learn the Muggle money. He took out the coins, silently counting out what he had. Draco was about to shove coins into the vending machine when his pager loudly alarmed.

"Great!" he said out loud. Draco bent down to pick up the small bag of chips and quickly opened it and shoved chips into his mouth as he ran down the hall back to the ER.

"What happened?" Draco urgently asked, frantically tying a yellow trauma gown around his neck. The nurse reached up to help tie it. Another nurse thrust a set of clipboards into his hands. Other doctors ran in to help.

"Car accident. Three adults in the car—two of them are critical. They're in trauma rooms one and two. Their adult daughter is with them. She's getting checked out by Dr. Anderson right now."

Draco nodded. "Which one?"

"The female. Room one."

Draco nodded again. He quickly hurried into trauma room one and glanced around at the doctors, paramedics, and nurses. "Bring me up to speed," he said, looking down at the clipboard in his hand.

"Female. Age 58. Injured in a car accident with her husband and daughter. Her husband was driving and lost control of the car in the storm. She wasn't wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the vehicle."

"Injuries?"

"She slammed through the front window of the SUV. Sudden impact."

"And she's still alive?" Draco looked incredulous.

"Barely. No response from the victim since they picked her up in the ambulance."

Draco nodded grimly. He stepped next to the bed and began his work on the patient. After a few minutes, the machines blared, signaling a lowered pulse.

"She's crashing," Draco said, urgently. He pressed his hands to the woman's chest and pushed down firmly, counting the CPR compressions for every second. "Get a crash trolley," he commanded.

Seconds passed and there was no response from the patient.

"Her heart's not responding," Draco said, frustrated.

"Here," a nurse replied, handing Draco the paddles to the defibrillator.

"Charge to 300." Draco glanced up at the machine and looked around the table. "Clear." He counted two seconds before pressing the paddles to the woman's chest. His eyebrows furrowed as he watched the machine for a second.

"Nothing, Doctor."

"Charge again." Draco looked around. "Clear." He looked down at the lifeless body before him before pulling the paddles away. "Come on," he whispered. "Come on, come on."

"Still nothing, Doctor." The nurse took the paddles from Draco. "She hasn't been responding."

Draco shook his head. He pressed his hands to the woman's chest and restarted CPR compressions. He directed a nurse to push medicine into the patient and continued the CPR.

Twenty minutes passed and there was still no response.

The nurse gently placed her hands on Draco's. "There's still nothing, Doctor Malfoy."

Draco's arms were tired and he stopped the compressions in defeat.

"NOOO!"

Draco looked up at a figure standing in the window. The blinds to the trauma room had been left open for anyone standing in the main hallway to see.

"That's the daughter," the nurse said, unnecessarily.

Draco stared at the figure for a few seconds. She seemed vaguely familiar to her, but he couldn't see her face. "Start again," he commanded. He gestured to the paddles. "Charge." He looked around. "Clear." Draco again pressed the paddles to the patient's chest and waited another few seconds before shaking his head. He tried to revive the heart again and tried to block out the sounds of the woman's wailing from outside the room. "Can't you do something about the daughter? She shouldn't have to watch her mother die!" he angrily yelled.

One of the nurses excused herself from the room and tried to pull the daughter away from the window. Draco knew she was unsuccessful—the woman was still standing there, pushing the nurse away.

"Doctor…there's still nothing," the nurse said.

"One more time." Draco commanded for the paddles to be charged and pressed them against the woman's chest. He handed the paddles to the nurse nearest to him and resumed manual compressions to the woman. Another ten minutes passed before the nurse pressed her hands to Draco's. She shook her head.

"Still nothing, Doctor."

Reluctantly, Draco stopped pressing his hands against the patient. He sighed in exhaustion and glanced at the figure in the window before looking up at the clock. "Time of death—3:23am."

"Nooo!"

Draco looked away from the woman outside the room. He saw that she had fallen to the ground and hoped the nurse would be taking care of her.

This was the part he hated most about being a doctor. Being a surgeon was even worse. He still saw death nearly every day. But he thought he could help repair these people's lives. He hated losing any patients and even more so when he felt helpless to fix any of them.

"Malfoy?" Anderson, another resident stuck his head in the room.

"Yeah?"

"We could use your help out here."

Draco nodded. He pulled off his gloves and nodded down to the lifeless body of the woman. "How's her husband?"

"Out of surgery. Stabilized, I think. Still critical. Still weak. He coded a couple of times."

Draco nodded again, but didn't say a word as he pushed past Anderson. He looked around for the woman, but didn't see her or the nurse.

"Where'd the daughter go?"

"I think Nurse Tyler brought the daughter to his room."

Draco nodded again. "Where do you want me?" he asked, looking around the ER.

Anderson gave him a curious look. "Malfoy, you're in charge of the ER tonight, but if you want me to give you something to do—"

"No, no, that's right." Draco brushed Anderson off and headed to nearest bed, trying to get his mind off of the patient he just lost.

He supposed he had to have a tough exterior and cold heart to be surrounded by death every day. His Slytherin training and being raised by a cold father helped him in these areas. He knew when to let go of a patient, but that didn't mean that each loss didn't hurt. He didn't know his patients, but he still grieved for them. Just like he grieved all the people who died in the Wizarding War that he had taken part of.

"He's coding again!" Anderson accidentally shoved Malfoy aside in his haste to run into a nearby trauma room.

Draco's eyes followed Anderson and saw the woman standing over a bed, wailing loudly. He recognized her from the window and realized that it must've been her father that had been coding again. He quickly followed Anderson before being pushed back.

"No, Malfoy," Anderson commanded. "Too many people."

Draco nodded, but continued to watch the room. He headed back to the nearest bed and picked up the chart, reading through it quickly. He spoke to the patient for half an hour, but kept an ear out toward the room. He smiled at the patient as he wrote out a prescription for the patient's migraine.

"I hope you feel better," he said, waving goodbye. He gestured to the nurse's desk. "You can give the nurse your discharge papers over there." He walked toward the nurse's desk with the patient, exchanging light conversation. "Where's Anderson?" he asked the nurse.

"He got called into surgery with the Dana kid."

"HELP!"

Machines blared loudly and Draco and the nurse jumped up and ran towards the source of the sound. It was the same room that Draco had noticed earlier—the husband of his patient that he had lost earlier that night.

He ran in and turned the man's body on his side. He looked at a nurse and cocked his head toward the man's daughter who was still in the room. "Get her out of here!"

"Come on, M'am," the nurse said, gently prodding the woman out of the room. The woman seemed to have given up her spirit and allowed the nurse to lead her from the room.

"Come on, come on, come on," Draco whispered. Twenty minutes later, the man was finally stable. He and the nurses hooked the man up to more machines to keep him alive. One by one, the nurses exited the room as they completed their tasks. Draco checked over the patient again before slowly moving toward the door.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Draco said, nearly walking into the man's daughter. She was slumped over and a large bandage covered her face. Her head pointed toward the ground and her frizzy, bushy hair blocked her face from him. "He is your father, correct? He is stable now," he replied in a kind voice.

"M-m-m…Malfoy?" The woman looked up at him.

Draco was confused. She had said his name like she knew him.

"Yes?" he replied. "I'm Dr. Malfoy, one of the surgical residents here tonight."

"Malfoy," she said again, this time in a whisper. She used her left hand to throw her long brown hair over her shoulder.

Draco's eyes widened. "Granger?" He quickly glanced down at the bed. "This man is—" He pulled the chart and looked up at the top to see the name. It read, 'James Granger.' "So…your mother…" he trailed off, gesturing to the room next door.

Granger's eyes filled with tears. "What are you doing here?" she cried.

"I'm…I'm a Muggle doctor now…" He pulled her closer to the bed. "Is there anybody you want me to call? Weasley? Potter?"

Granger shook her head. She sobbed as she took in the sight of her father connected to a number of different machines.

Draco awkwardly stood close to the doorway. Now that he knew who his patients were, he didn't really know what to do. If it were a normal patient, he would've left by now. But since he knew one of the patients, he felt a strange connection to stay. It was even stranger because he and Granger never even got along during their time at school together. But it was he who tried to save her mother. And it was he who saved her father just now.

It had been a long time since he even thought about her and her friends. He left that life so long ago and never looked back.

"I'll…um…I'll leave you to your privacy, then," Draco said quietly.

"No." Granger's voice was filled with tears, but it rang loud and clear.

Draco nodded. He couldn't deny her this request. If it had been another patient, he would've stayed as well. He moved closer to her.

"You all had to bring him back five times already," Granger said, tears streaming down her face.

"His body has undergone a lot of stress today," Draco said, parroting a doctor answer.

"Those tubes…what are they for?" She pointed to a set of tubes that hung near his bed. "They weren't there earlier."

"Your father's body is filing with fluid. The tubes are there to drain it."

"What about that? What's that?"

Draco sighed. This was the Granger he remembered—always asking questions. But a lot of families always asked questions. It helped them cope with the stress of their family members being in the hospitals.

"That's a ventilator. It's breathing for him."

"Breath…breathing for him?" It sounded as if Granger's voice was caught in her throat. "When will he wake up?"

"I don't know," Draco truthfully answered. If there was one thing he remembered about Granger, it was that she demanded answers and the truth. "It's hard to tell if he'll even wake up."

Granger stifled another sob.

"We can't take your father off life support," Draco continued, knowing that Granger would want to hear this even though it was difficult to deal with. "And…with the number of times we've had to revive him…every single time, it gets harder and harder on his body. And it takes longer to revive him."

Granger placed her head on her father's bed. Draco knew her tears were probably falling into the sheets. He vaguely remembered a time when he would have enjoyed being the cause of her tears.

Now he hated himself for it. But he had to be a doctor. He had to continue on with his job.

"Granger…I know this is a difficult time for you, but…in…extraordinary cases, do you know what your father would have wanted?"

Granger looked up at him with tears in her eyes, streaming down her cheeks. "What my father would have wanted!"

"We're required to ask if our patients have been placed on life support for longer than three hours."

"What my father would have wanted?" she asked again. Draco nodded slowly. "You mean—"

Draco nodded again. "Yes," he said to her unspoken question. "You don't have to answer me now, but find any of us if you know something." He turned toward the door before looking at her again. "Um…is there anyone I can call? We're required to ask that, too," he said, feeling a need to explain. "Weasley or Potter or someone? Do you have any other relatives?"

"They're all dead."

"What about Weasley or Potter?" As much as he was dreading an inevitable phone call to them, he knew he had to ask. He remembered his mother and Astoria telling him how the three of them still pretty much did everything together. Except now Potter was married to the Weasley girl and as far as he knew, Granger and Weasley were an item. He also remembered his mother showing him pictures from Potter's wedding to the Weasley girl that had been in some magazine.

"No. Don't call them."

Draco nodded. "Please inform us of any information that may help us. If your father stabilizes, we can move him. If not, we'll keep him here. The less stress on his body, the better."

He hurried from the room before Granger could ask him any questions. He didn't exactly know how to react with seeing her again.

Draco sat down at the nurse's desk and pulled the chart from his pile. The patient that he had lost earlier. He opened the folder and glanced at the name at the top: 'Bonnie Granger.' He read through the chart a number of times to see if he had missed anything.

"Dammit!" he cried out in frustration. He threw the folder down, not finding anything.

Draco looked at Granger through the open blinds of the window. He didn't necessarily forget about her in his time away from the Wizarding World, but he definitely didn't think about her. Seeing her here was a complete surprise to him. Seeing her brought back all the bad memories of the war.

He remembered that she had been subjected to his crazy aunt's tortures. He remembered how she was on the run with Potter and Weasley while he was cooped up with the most dangerous and the most craziest wizard of all time. He remembered how he once craved to be among the elite members of the Death Eaters. He remembered how he caused his old headmaster's death.

A surge of guilt rushed through Draco. He felt bad. He felt bad that he couldn't do more to save Granger's mother and father. He felt bad that Granger was tortured by his aunt. He felt bad that he also subjected Granger to a number of verbal assaults and put downs.

"Um…Malfoy?"

Granger's voice interrupted Draco's thoughts. Draco didn't even notice that Granger had left her father's hospital room.

He looked up at her. "Yes, Granger?"

"I…I've been thinking and…I've come to a decision." She inhaled and took a deep breath. Her brown eyes glistened with tears and she pressed a hand to the bandage on her face. "My father has been completely tortured today. I don't—I don't know how much more I could watch him suffer through…especially after my…my mother…" her voice trailed off and she sniffed loudly. "But…I want to take my father off of life support," she said in a clear voice. "I don't want a machine to have to live for my father."

Draco nodded. "So, let me just repeat: you want to take your father off of his life support?" Granger nodded. "Knowing full well that it may end your father's life?" Granger nodded again. Draco looked deeply into her eyes. He never noticed how brown they were before. Nor had he noticed how much life they held. Right now, they were quickly filling with tears and Draco knew she was holding them back until she received an answer. "Very well. You have to sign some papers before we…um, before anything."

Granger nodded. "Thank you, Malfoy," she said in a whisper before heading back to her father's room.

Immediately, Draco summoned a nurse to begin the necessary paperwork. He resumed staring at Granger through the window and continued to think about their past at Hogwarts and their completely different roles in the Wizarding War.

Fifteen minutes later, a nurse returned with the paperwork and the chief of surgery. Draco nodded to the chief as he followed him into the patient's room. He vaguely listened as the chief spoke to Granger and waited for his turn to sign the papers. Once he signed them, he handed them over to Granger and the chief spoke to her again.

Granger nodded in understanding and handed him the papers. The chief gave her a small smile of sympathy and walked out of the hospital room. Draco moved to follow him, but Granger placed a hand on his arm.

"Malfoy…stay…please." Her voice sounded as if she were close to begging.

He nodded to her. They both stood next to Granger's father's bed in silence.

"What happens now?" she asked. She and Draco awkwardly stood a couple of feet away from each other.

Draco took a deep breath. "Now, we wait. We've turned off all the machines." He gestured to the one nearest to them. "That one shows his heart rate. When it starts to slow down, an alarm will sound, but I can turn off the sound for you."

"Then what happens?"

"After his heart slows down, his breathing will also slow down. When that happens, his organs will begin to fail because they need oxygen to survive. And…when he no longer has a pulse and he's not breathing…that's when he'll…when he'll be…"

Draco was cut off by the sound of the alarm blaring from the machine showing Granger's father's heart rate. He reached around Granger to turn off the sound. She began to loudly sob and threw her face into Draco's shoulder. Draco awkwardly put an arm around her and tried to give her a comforting hug. He knew there were no words that he could say to make her feel any less pain, so he just tried to be there as he was for every other patient he had. Draco did feel more for this particular case because he had a connection to Granger, though it was one that he'd prefer to leave in the past.

"Magic…" she whispered against his chest.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Can't you use magic to bring him back? He's not gone, yet, right?"

Draco felt a pang in his chest. "Granger…we can't use magic for your father…"

"But why?" she whined. She looked up at him with tears streaming down her face. She didn't bother wiping them. "If you hurry—"

Draco shook his head slowly. "Your…your father's a Muggle. He doesn't have magical blood. Magic won't work for him if we try to use it…"

Granger threw her face into Draco's chest again. She sobbed even louder and shook uncontrollably. Draco wrapped his arms around her and gave her a tight hug.

"I'm sorry, Granger."

He slowly unwrapped Granger from his embrace and put his arm around her as they watched her father's body shut down. He pulled a chair close to the bed and forced her to sit down in it. Draco rubbed her shoulders and gave her a quick hug.

"Stay as long as you want. I…I get off soon, but if you need anything, feel free to ask any of the nurses or doctors out here."

Draco left the room and sadly looked at Granger through the window. She looked so different than the person he remembered. That girl was headstrong and refused to be broken down. He remembered seeing his aunt torture her. She didn't even break down then. And now, he felt as though he was invading her privacy by seeing this side of her.

This person, whose eyes stared blankly at her father's lifeless body. This person, who sat slumped over as if she was trying to hide from everyone.

He knew it was the shock and the grief that invaded her mind. But he didn't like seeing her like this. He didn't want this image to be the last thing that he remembered of Granger.

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><p>Thanks for reading!<p>

I was a bit inspired from a recent episode of Grey's Anatomy, but obviously the majority of the story takes place after the initial accident.

Please review and let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and placed this story on their alerts/favorites! I really appreciate it!

Here's the next chapter!

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><p>Two months later, Draco sat down at a table in The Leaky Cauldron and took a swig of his pumpkin juice. He checked his watch impatiently, wondering where his girlfriend was. He took the rest of the day off from the hospital because he knew Astoria would be an absolute irritant if he rushed from their lunch date back to work.<p>

"Draco!"

Astoria's high voice came from behind him. He closed his eyes quickly before standing up to face her. A fake smile plastered across his face.

"Hi Astoria."

He leaned down to give her an obligatory kiss on the cheek and held out a chair for her.

"Would you like me to order something for you?"

Astoria shook her head. "I won't be here long."

"What? But—"

She waved her hand to stop him from speaking. "Look, Draco, this isn't working. We can't pretend anymore."

Draco stared at her, confused. "What are you talking about, Astoria?"

"Something's different between the two of us now, Draco. We're…we're not the same people we were when we first started dating. You feel it, too, I know it. It's been different for a long time, Draco, and it's only going to hurt more if we keep trying to pretend there's a spark there when there isn't. What's going to happen when you fall in love with someone? When I do?"

"Have you?"

"No, I haven't." She placed her hands over Draco's. "I swear I have not fallen in love with anyone else. But I want to be by myself for a bit. I don't know what it's like to be independent. I've always depended on someone else. I want to see the world. I want to live in America. I want to live in Thailand. I want to experience the world. Even you've experienced the world."

"I haven't done—"

"But you know who you are. You've made some mistakes in your past and you learned from them. You've grown into a different person than who you were at Hogwarts and I will always love that person, but I'm not in love with that person."

"So you wish I was the same person that I was at Hogwarts?"

"No, but you've grown up. I've grown up. And I can't keep pretending anymore. I know you feel it is a chore. I see your face when you kiss me. I feel you flinch when you touch me. You're not in love with me, either, are you?"

Draco didn't say anything.

Astoria gave him a small smile. "It's okay. But we're not working. So…it's over, Draco. Goodbye." She stood and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm leaving for New York tonight. Please don't see me off." She gave him a sad smile and waved to him as she walked out of the pub.

He sat for a long time, continuing his drink of pumpkin juice. He longed for something stronger, some firewhiskey, but he was on call that evening and knew he had to be in his right mind if he had to run to the hospital. He wished he didn't take the rest of the day off and had half the mind to return to the hospital. They always needed more doctors, didn't they?

But as Draco sat, he thought about what Astoria said. She was right. He didn't feel anything for her. It did become a chore to be her boyfriend. He supposed he should feel sad, but he didn't. He felt bad for not feeling sad, but he actually felt free.

And happy.

Draco made a mental note to send Astoria a non-romantic gift in gratitude. He figured he'd let her get settled wherever she decided to go and then ask Daphne for Astoria's address.

"There's an empty table right there, Hermione, let's sit there!"

A loud voice interrupted his thoughts. His ears piqued at Granger's name and he looked over his shoulder. He saw the familiar flaming red hair of the Weasley girl and noticed a large bump in her belly. And he saw the familiar bushy brown hair of Granger.

Draco observed her as she stood in line. The Weasley girl—well, Potter now—set her shopping bags down at an empty table near his own, but she didn't seem to notice him, thankfully. She stood in line with Granger.

Granger still looked different from the Granger he remembered at school. She looked more like that grief-stricken woman that he had seen two months ago in the hospital.

The Potter girl seemed to be speaking animatedly to Granger, but Granger seemed to be only giving her one-or-two word answers. She clearly looked like she wanted to be elsewhere and the Potter girl looked as if she was forcing herself to speak to Granger.

"Aren't they friends?" Draco wondered. He looked away and suddenly became very interested in his pumpkin juice as they walked near him to sit at their table. Draco edged his chair closer to their table, but turned away from them so they couldn't see him listening.

The Potter girl continued to speak about something—how her husband, Harry Potter, was frightened out of his wits when he felt the baby moving for the first time. Granger didn't offer anything to the conversation and Draco stole a glance over his shoulder to look at them. Potter was talking, waving her hands around and Granger seemed disinterested. She was staring into her coffee mug as if the whole Hogwarts library was housed in there.

"Hermione, Hermione, are you even paying attention?" The Potter girl looked a bit irritated before her expression softened. "What's going on with you, Hermione? We've all been trying to tip-toe around you for the past couple of months, but we don't know what's going on. We don't know how to help—if you even need our help. Does it have something to do with Ron? What has my prat of a brother done to you now?"

Granger shrugged her shoulders.

"Come on, Hermione. You've been in this funk for like, two months, now." The Potter girl put her hands over Granger's hands. "Hermione," she said in a softer, more gentle voice. "What's going on with you? Why are you pushing us away? We love you, Hermione, we can help. I want my son to know you, the real you, not…"

"Not what?" Granger asked in a monotone voice.

"Not this shell of a person who you used to be. We thought you were just going through something and we'd give you time and space, but…it's been two months, Hermione, two months! What's going on?"

"Nothing. Nothing's going on."

Draco stole a glance at them again. Potter looked a little annoyed, but seemed to want to try again. Granger still looked disinterested.

"Okay." Potter looked as if she wanted to change the subject. "So, the wedding. My mum wants to know when she can meet up with your mum because she wants them to coordinate their outfits together. And my dad wanted to ask your dad if he knew how to play golf and if they could go golfing together sometime before the wedding."

This time, Draco didn't even try to hide his glance at their table. Granger didn't tell her friends that her parents died? He stared at the two of them, but they didn't see him.

"I called off the wedding," Granger said. "I broke it off with Ron."

"What?" Potter looked surprised. "When?"

"This morning."

"Why?"

"Because he asked me if he had to buy my parents a gift for our wedding."

"So why does that constitute you breaking it off with Ron?"

Granger shook her head. "I…I didn't…I don't love Ron anymore. There's nothing there."

Potter looked taken aback, but she nodded slowly. "This won't change anything between us. Just because he's my brother…I won't take sides."

Granger nodded. "Thank you," she said, looking into her coffee mug.

"Hermione, I love you. You're like a sister I never had. And something's wrong and I'm worried. I'm really worried about you. I will always be here for you if you want me to be. Please, talk to me."

Granger moved her head, but didn't respond.

Draco decided he had heard enough and stood from his seat. He moved toward Potter and Granger's table and took a seat without an invitation.

"Malfoy?" Potter's voice sounded angry and irritated, but Draco ignored her.

"Hi," he said to Granger. He looked deeply into her eyes and noticed the lifeless look in her them.

"Leave her alone, Malfoy."

Draco pulled out a business card from his wallet and pushed it across the table to Granger. She looked at it for a few moments before staring up at him. Draco took in her lifeless brown eyes again and a surge of sympathy flowed through him.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Potter asked, annoyed.

He didn't look at her, but nodded at Granger before standing up.

"Wait, Malfoy." Granger's brown eyes followed his gray ones. She stood up and pulled her purse around her shoulders. "Can I have lunch with you?"

"Hermione!" Potter looked angry.

Granger looked at her friend without a change in her expression. "Sorry, Ginny. Tell Harry I said hello."

"You're going to leave me here?" She gestured to her belly. "Pregnant, here."

Granger glanced down at her friend's belly. "Sorry, Gin. I'll make it up to you. I just…I have to talk to him." She looked at Draco. "Malfoy? Please?"

Draco nodded. "Okay."

"Can we get out of here?"

Draco nodded again. He finally glanced at Potter, who seethed in anger. He nodded at her and gave her a small smile. "Potter…congratulations."

She reached up and wrapped her fingers around his arm in a death grip. "If anything happens to her, Malfoy, I swear—"

Draco pulled his arm from her grasp. "Nothing will happen to Granger, Potter."

"Hermione!"

"Sorry Gin." Granger looked at Draco expectantly. Draco nodded and gestured toward the door. She walked out and Draco closely followed.

"Late lunch?" he asked. "Where do you want to go?"

"Somewhere in Muggle London. Where no one will recognize me."

He nodded. "There's a good Thai restaurant near the hospital that I work at."

Granger nodded. "Sounds good."

"It's not far from here."

Granger nodded. She and Draco walked side-by-side in silence. When they finally arrived at the restaurant, she and Draco continued to their table in silence. Neither spoke until they ordered something to drink.

Draco surveyed Granger over the rim of his menu carefully. Their server returned and they both ordered something, neither one of them paying much attention to what they ordered.

"All right, Granger?" he finally asked.

Granger shook her head. "No," she said. "Of course I'm not."

Draco nodded. "Yes. That was a dumb question."

Granger pulled out the business card that Draco slid to her earlier. She gave Draco a questioning look. "Scott Greene?"

"He's a psychiatrist at the hospital I work at. If you need to talk to anyone, he's good. He's helped me a lot."

Granger carefully placed the business card back in her purse. She shook her head. "He wouldn't understand."

"He understands a lot." Draco leaned in closer to Hermione. "He's a Squib, Granger. So he knows a lot about the Wizarding World. He knows a lot about the Muggle world. He—" Draco hesitated slightly, wondering if he should reveal a secret of his. He decided to go ahead with it after remembering how he witnessed her break down at her father's bedside. "He helped me. After the war, I left the Wizarding World. I wanted to leave all of it behind and change who I'd become. And I did. I went to a Muggle university and I became a doctor. I made something of myself, but it took me a long time. And I…after the war, I fell into a deep depression. I focused on my studies and doing well in school to get through it, but…I was depressed. When I started my internship at the hospital, Greene and I had lunch together. It led to actual sessions and slowly, I felt myself coming back. Not back to the person I was—the Death Eater, the stupid git at school—but someone I could start being proud of. I wouldn't recommend him to you unless he was good and trustworthy. And he's both."

Draco took a long sip of water and saw that Granger was deep in thought. Their food arrived and they began eating in silence.

If there was one thing about Draco that hadn't changed from when he was at Hogwarts, it was that he was comfortable in silence. He enjoyed it. Of course, he enjoyed talking to others, also, but Draco preferred a silent environment as opposed to a loud one. So, while the two of them sat in complete silence, without a word to one another, Draco still felt comfortable. He was concerned for Granger and saw that she seemed to be taking in the things that he had said to her.

"Why a doctor?" she asked, suddenly. She dropped her fork and took a sip of her water. Her eyes sparkled with curiousity. "Why did you decide to become a doctor?"

Draco thought about his answer. "I think it's the only thing I could do that would repay the things that I've done."

Granger fell silent again. They resumed their quiet meal. When they finished, Draco paid for both of them, though Granger tried to slip money into Draco's pocket, but he refused to accept it. They walked out of the restaurant and awkwardly faced one another.

"You should see him," Draco said, gesturing to her purse. He was talking about the business card that he had seen her place in it earlier. "I'm not going to pretend like I didn't hear your conversation with your friend. And I'm not going to try to pry anything out of you, but…it's been two months. You should talk to someone."

Granger nodded. "I don't feel like I can. And if I go to…this Greene guy…he's heard of me, hasn't he? Even if he's a Squib, he must've heard about—about everything that's happened."

"It's not like it was something small that happened, Granger. You saved our world."

"I'll think about it," she said, resigned.

"That's all I can ask." Draco gave her a small smile and pressed his hand to her arm. He leaned down and brushed his lips against her cheek in a friendly gesture. "I'll see you around, Granger." He turned away from her.

"Wait, Malfoy—"

Draco stopped and looked at her. "Yes, Granger?"

"I don't—I'll think about talking to Greene, but I'm not going to promise you anything."

Draco nodded. "Okay."

"Do—do you have anywhere to be right now?"

Draco checked his watch. "I was going to head back to the hospital, but is there anything you need? Or do you have any questions?"

"Do you have to work?"

Draco shook his head. "No, but I'm on call tonight."

"Why are you heading back?"

Draco shrugged. "I was just going to do some paperwork. Look over the charts and check on my patients. Whenever I have free time, I still try to spend it at the hospital."

"Oh, okay. I'll let you get back to that, then." She looked lonely as she turned away from him.

"Is there something you want, Granger?"

Granger shook her head. "No, I just…I guess I didn't—I don't know."

"I don't have to go back to the hospital."

Granger nodded, but didn't say anything. Draco sensed that she didn't want to be alone, but didn't want to hang around that Potter girl.

"Do you want to go to the cinema or something?" he asked.

Granger looked at him and gave him a small smile. "Okay."

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><p>Thanks for reading! Please review!<p>

There'll be more into Hermione and Ron's relationship later, but I just wanted to move the story along a bit. Every chapter will have some Draco/Hermione interactions as they get closer.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for reading! Here's the next chapter!

It picks up a couple of weeks at the end of the last chapter.

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><p>"Hey Draco, mind if I eat with you?"<p>

Draco looked up from his book and saw an older man with salt-and-pepper hair and wire-rimmed glasses standing next to him.

"Scott!"

He dropped his sandwich and nodded, gesturing to the chair across from him. "Sit down." He saved his spot in his book and set it down next to his tray.

Scott Greene dropped his tray and sat across from Draco.

"How've you been, Scott?"

"I'm doing well, Draco. How about you? I haven't seen you up in my office recently."

Draco looked a bit embarrassed. "Sorry, I know I haven't set up a session in a while. It's been a busy month."

"No worries. I'd like to see you soon, though."

Draco nodded. "Of course."

"I've been having interesting sessions with one Miss Granger."

Draco looked at him curiously. "You're not supposed to be telling me about it."

"I know, but as the person paying for her treatment, I know you'd want to be kept informed of how she's doing."

Draco nodded. "But not if it betrays her trust for you."

"That's the thing, Draco. She hasn't said anything at all. In the past three weeks that I've treated her, she never said a word."

"Really?"

Scott nodded. "The only thing she said was that you recommended me to her. She said it took her two days after you gave her my card before she decided to set up an appointment with me. And I'd understand if she kept silent for that first session, but she still hasn't said anything since. And you've already paid for two months' worth of treatment. Miss Granger and I have had sessions three times a week."

"Is she all right?" Draco asked, concerned.

"Of course not. I don't think she wants to be there. I hope you didn't pressure her into seeing me. She should come when she feels comfortable enough, too."

"I didn't pressure her."

Scott nodded. "I just wanted you to know since you're her benefactor in this."

Draco nodded. "Thank you." His pager beeped and he looked at it quickly. "Sorry, Scott, but I have to go."

"Have a good day, Draco."

Draco picked up his book and the tray and threw the contents of his lunch into the trash before he ran from the cafeteria.

She wasn't speaking? What the hell was going on through her mind? Why was she even going to the sessions if she wasn't speaking?

"What's going on?" Draco asked, running into the ER alongside a number of other doctors. He helped Lopez tie her trauma gown. She threw a gown at him and he quickly pulled it on.

"Multiple car crash," answered Anderson. He reached behind him and tied the strings of his trauma gown. "Four victims, three in one car and one in the other."

"Malfoy—you're with me," Daniel Keating, an attending, directed.

Draco nodded and ran to the bed Keating ran alongside. "What's his status?" he asked, looking down at the patient.

He followed Keating into a trauma room and they continued to work on the patient. They brought him up to the operating room and proceeded to perform surgery on the man's heart. Hours later, Draco emerged from the OR after a successful surgery and left to inform the patient's family members of the man's current condition.

"He's stable now," Draco said to his patient's wife. "He won't wake up for another couple of hours, but you may go and see him. Just be very careful around him, all right?" He smiled at the wife and ruffled their son's hair. "Your daddy is sleeping, okay?" he said, kneeling down to look at the four-year-old in his eyes. "When he wakes up, I'm sure he'll be happy to see you." He stood and directed his patient's wife to her husband's room.

"Dr. Malfoy?"

"Yes, Nurse Tyler?" Draco signed a few papers and set a folder down on the nurse's desk.

"There's someone to see you." She gestured to a young woman sitting in the corner of the waiting room with her head buried in a book. Draco immediately knew who it was, seeing the long brown hair. "We told her you were in surgery, but she refused to leave and said she would just wait."

Draco nodded. "Thanks." He quietly headed to where Granger was and sat down next to her. He reached over and took the book from her, taking care to save her page in the book.

Granger looked up at him in irritation. "Oh! Malfoy!" she said, seeing his familiar gray eyes and short blonde hair.

"What are you doing here, Granger?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I…I don't know." The lifeless look reappeared in her eyes.

"I had lunch with Scott earlier. Why don't you say anything to him?" He figured he should ask her before he forgot.

"I'm not comfortable with him."

"So why don't you talk to Potter or Weasley or—"

"Because I don't want to."

"Okay." Draco looked down at the book Granger was in the middle of reading. "The Fountainhead?"

"What's wrong with The Fountainhead?"

Draco snorted. "If you need architecture to figure out how to be yourself and not care about what anyone else thinks, then you seriously have a problem on your hands."

"It's not literal, Malfoy! It's a metaphor for actual life!"

"Well, then, that Ellsworth Toohey—"

"You would like Toohey, wouldn't you?"

"What's not to like? He's a cunning and ambitious man who knows how to work the people around him. The first time I read this, I wanted to be just like him. I failed miserably at that," he said with a chuckle.

"When was that?" Granger asked. "The first time you read this?"

Draco shrugged. "Fifth-year, I think."

"Oh." Hermione nodded and delved into a long-winded explanation about why Dominique Francon and Howard Roark were the two most admirable characters in the book. Passion and excitement danced in her eyes.

Draco looked at her in amusement. "Are you done?" he asked when she finally finished speaking.

"I suppose."

"Good. I'm hungry." He checked his watch. "Do you care to have a quick supper with me?"

"Sure." Granger gathered her things and followed Draco to the cafeteria. "When do you get off?"

"Noon tomorrow."

"How long have you been here?"

"Around 10:30 last night."

"Long hours."

"Life of a surgical resident. And this is a short day." He winked at her and grabbed two plates of pasta and two pieces of garlic bread. He gestured for Granger to reach for two bottles of water and they proceeded to the cash area to pay for it.

"Let me," Granger said, pulling out her wallet. She pulled out a few bills and passed it to the cashier.

"Well, thanks for dinner, Granger," Draco said, leading her to an empty table.

"It's just repaying you for the meal you paid for," she replied, referring to their meal three weeks ago. "But you're welcome."

Draco smiled. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Granger?"

Granger shrugged. "Stop," she said.

"Stop what?"

"Stop calling me, 'Granger.'" She took a bite of her bread. "It reminds me of my dad."

"Okay, but you have to stop calling me, 'Malfoy.'"

"Okay…Draco…"

"All right…Hermy-one." Draco smirked at her.

A look of irritation and annoyance came over her face. "Hermy-one?"

Draco shrugged. "That's how I thought you pronounced your name when I first met you. And then I thought, who the hell would name their child 'Hermione'?" He smirked her again. "How did you get your name anyway?"

"It—it came from a Shakespeare play, A Winter's Tale." Sadness came over her face and the lifeless look reappeared in her eyes. "It was my mother's favorite play."

"Oh," Draco replied. "Well, my name came from the constellation. My mother's family had an unnatural obsession with the stars, I tell you. I suppose my question should've been, who in their right mind would name their kid, 'Draco'?"

"You don't like your name?"

"I've grown to love it."

Hermione gave him a small smile. "Me too."

They fell into a comfortable silence. Draco didn't know when it began, but he and Granger—Hermione— were slowly becoming friends. This was the third time in the past three months that they've seen each other and in each time, they grew more comfortable with one another. He could tell that she was hurting, that she was not healing over the death of her parents. He wanted to help her—it was why he paid for her sessions with Scott and why he recommended Scott to her in the first place. She reminded him of how he was when he first left the Wizarding World. She reminded him of how lost he was and he only hoped that he could help her in the way no one could until he started seeing Scott.

"I'm re-reading Great Expectations," Draco offered.

"Oh really? I suppose you wished you were Abel Magwitch the first time you read it?"

Draco laughed, but shook his head. "No. I wish I were him now. Former convict who uses his money to help someone."

Hermione furrowed her brow. "But there's more to the story then just that."

"I know."

"And you were never convicted of…" she gestured to his left forearm. "Being a Death Eater," she whispered.

Draco shrugged. "I know. But it doesn't mean that I was one."

"But I do thank you. I know what you're doing for me, with Dr. Greene and all. You didn't have to pay for it, you know. I could pay it on my own."

"It doesn't matter." He took a sip from his bottled water. "It's not like you're using his services anyway," he said with a smile. His eyes twinkled in amusement.

Hermione rolled her eyes. She looked sad again. "I'm just not comfortable around him."

Draco nodded. "It took me awhile to feel comfortable with him, too."

"I don't think I can."

"Okay. You don't have to go if you don't want to." He looked earnestly into her eyes, hoping they would revert back to those eyes that were so filled with life.

She looked thoughtful at him. "I'll try one more time. But no promises to continue, Draco."

"At least you tried, Hermione." He briefly placed his hand over Hermione's and smiled at her. "If…if you don't feel comfortable talking to Scott or any of your friends, I'm always here to lend an ear."

Hermione nodded. "I'll remember that. Thank you."

Draco nodded at her. He opened his mouth to say something else, but his pager beeped, interrupting them. He looked down at it quickly and glanced at Hermione apologetically. "Sorry, but I have to go."

"It's all right. You should go, I'm keeping you from your work."

He stood and hesitated before giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I'm serious. If you need someone to talk to, you know where to find me."

Hermione nodded and gave him a small smile. He waved at her, noticing the sadness on her face and the lifeless look returning to her eyes.

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><p>Thanks for reading! I know there are a lot of people who've placed this story on their alertsfavorites and I would love it if you reviewed! So, if you have the time, please review and let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

Finished this chapter earlier than expected, so I just decided to post it.

First, a few things:

For some reason, it won't let me respond to the reviews via PM, so I'll just do it here.  
>- <strong>alekeneka: <strong>Thank you! I hope you like this chapter!

- **twuwuv76: **Thank you so much! I love Grey's Anatomy, too! There'll be more blending between the magical and Muggle world in the upcoming chapters, as well.

-**thegoddessgirl: **No, Scott Greene is not based off of anyone I know. That's funny that you know someone of that same name. I actually got the name Scott Greene because I was flipping between One Tree Hill and Friends as I was writing that chapter. Scott-Nathan & Lucas Scott from OTH. Greene-Rachel from Friends.

-**cascol3**: Thank you very much! I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

Well, here's the new chapter! Hope you all enjoy!

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><p>This was not how Draco wanted to spend his day off. He wanted to sleep in, wake up in the afternoon, and spend the rest of his day watching mindless Muggle television or reading.<p>

Instead, his mother asked him to accompany him to the Ministry of Magic so she could go to the Floo Regulation Office and set up her new cottage in the Floo system. His mother had stopped living at the Malfoy Manor following the death of her husband three years ago and moved in with her sister, Andromeda Tonks. They reconnected after the war, but his mother now felt like she imposed on Andromeda and her young grandson, so she recently moved out.

Draco looked boredly at the clock on the wall. It shouldn't be this long for them to set up the Floo Network at her cottage.

At long last, the door to the office opened and her mother emerged from it.

"Thanks for waiting, darling," she said with a smile.

"No problem, Mum," he answered, standing up and stretching his legs. "Where to, now?"

"I'm off to meet 'Dromeda and dear Teddy in Diagon Alley. He's leaving for Hogwarts soon, you know. Would you like to join us?"

Draco shook his head. "No, I'll just head on home. I should rest before my next 3-day shift."

"Draco, you work too hard. Didn't you just get off?"

"Yes, Mum, but I've got to put my time in."

"Why don't you just work at St. Mungo's as a Healer? You'd have so much more free time."

"No, Mum, I don't want to." He walked down the hall with his mother until they arrived at the elevators.

"Draco?"

Draco turned at the sound of his name. "Hermione? What are you doing here?"

She smiled at him. "I work at the Ministry. What are you doing here?"

"Came with my mother to her meeting with Floo Office."

Hermione looked around Draco and smiled at his mother. "Hi, Mrs. Malfoy," she said shyly.

"Miss Granger. How are you?" she asked in a friendly way. She offered Hermione a smile.

"I'm fine," Hermione answered automatically.

The elevator came and Narcissa kissed her son's cheek. "Draco, I will see you later. Thank you for accompanying me." She smiled at Hermione. "Miss Granger, have a good day."

"You too, Mrs. Malfoy."

Narcissa walked onto the elevator and the doors closed with a ding.

Draco looked around. "Which department do you work at?"

"Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"What are you doing up here?"

"I had a meeting."

Draco nodded. "Oh, all right."

"Do you have to work today?"

Draco shook his head. "No. I'm off for the next three days, but after that, I have a forty-eight hour shift."

Hermione looked tired at the mere mention of his hours. "I don't know how you manage it."

"You learn during medical school." He smiled at her and looked deep into her eyes. He saw the lifeless look again. "Have you been all right? I didn't hear from you for a couple of weeks, but Scott said you've cancelled the rest of your sessions with him?"

Hermione nodded, but didn't say anything. She pressed a button on the elevator. Draco followed her to Magical Law Enforcement floor and continued to her office. She shut door and sat down behind the desk. Draco took a seat in front of the desk.

"The offer still stands, Hermione," Draco said, breaking the silence between them. "I'm here if you want to talk."

A wave of tears flooded her eyes. "I don't think I'm ready."

"Okay. I'll be here when you are."

"I don't think I'll ever be ready."

"It's hard. But it gets easier to manage." He gazed at her and the tears threatened to fall from her eyes. "Hermione, please don't cry. Not here. Not yet."

She nodded and sniffed loudly. It was silent in the room aside from Hermione trying to regain her composure. After a few moments, she looked at Draco. "Why did your mother meet with the Floo Office?"

"She moved out of my aunt's home and needed her new home to connect to it."

"Oh, okay." She looked around her office, trying to find something else to fill the silence with. Draco didn't look as if he was leaving anytime soon. "Have you had lunch already?"

Draco chuckled. "Why do our meetings always involve food?"

"No, once we saw a movie."

"After we shared a meal."

Hermione smiled.

"Hermione, I just want to know one thing. Then we don't have to speak of until you're ready." He looked into her brown eyes. "Did you tell anyone about your parents?"

Her eyebrows furrowed and she pursed her lips together. "No," she said in a small voice. She shook her head and shut her eyes. "I didn't tell anybody. No one knows."

"Okay," Draco replied. He stood up and held his hand out to her. "So, lunch?"

Hermione nodded. She reached for his hand and gave him a smile. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Don't mention it. Where to?" He opened the door to her office. "I believe it's my turn to pay, isn't it?"

Hermione smiled. "I guess so."

"You pick. Muggle London?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know."

Draco put his arm around her and gave her a hug. "We could go somewhere close, instead."

"If you want."

"But it's your turn to pick."

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know," she repeated.

"Well, then how about we walk around until we find something then."

Hermione nodded. "Okay."

"Do you want to hear about this trauma case that came in yesterday?"

"Sure."

Draco and Hermione walked down the hallway and waited for the elevator. "Did you hear about that train crash?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I did. The victims of the crash went to your hospital?"

Draco nodded. "There were so many victims. It was one of those days that I really hated being a doctor. Sometimes, it gets really hard. Especially when you feel helpless. There were these two people…they were strangers to one another, but…it's really sad…they were impaled by a pole from the train and were stuck, facing each other. Both of them were really good sports about it, but…"

"Did they survive?"

The elevator dinged and Draco and Hermione walked onto the elevator. Draco casually placed his hand on Hermione's arm. He looked sadly at her.

"Not both of them. Only the man survived. We couldn't save them both. But…I dunno, it just gave me an even better appreciation for those around me, you know?"

Hermione nodded sadly. "It does."

"Sorry to bring the mood down," Draco said. "We should talk about something different. Do you keep up with shows on the telly?"

Hermione looked at him in a strange way and smiled, lighting up her eyes. "Draco Malfoy asking me about a Muggle telly. I never thought I would've seen the day." The lifeless look seemed to fade a bit, but it was still there.

"Yeah, I suppose that is strange, isn't it?," he replied. The elevator opened and they walked out into the Atrium. Draco led Hermione through the crowd of witches and wizards, keeping his hand on her arm as they maneuvered to the exit.

He directed Hermione down the street. Hermione smiled and leaned against Draco, allowing him to lead her toward one restaurant. "Are you in the mood for French?"

"Sure."

They walked into the restaurant and waited to be seated. Hermione told him about a story she had read about in the Muggle news.

Draco smirked as he listened intently to Hermione's story. "You do realize that's a story about Muggle football players, right? I thought the great Miss Granger didn't like sports."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Stop teasing me, Draco. And I don't particularly like sports. Quidditch was confusing. But with football, I could understand the whole 'getting the ball into the goal' thing."

Draco laughed. "But that's what Quidditch is, too. Getting the Quaffle into the goals."

"Well, then, the Snitch just complicated everything."

Draco laughed again. "I have to agree with you there. It complicated everything."

They spent the next couple of hours discussing books, movies, and anything else that came to mind. Draco found it extraordinarily easy to talk to her. He also enjoyed talking to her. He loved listening to her thoughts and seeing how animated it made her. He loved seeing the life in her eyes.

Draco signaled for the check. "I suppose you have to get back to work now, don't you?"

Hermione nodded. "I wish I didn't, though."

"We all hate our jobs sometimes."

"I didn't take any time off, you know. After—after it happened."

"You should allow yourself some time to grieve, Hermione."

Hermione shrugged. "I guess."

Draco quickly put cash in the small folder for the check. He stood and helped Hermione from her seat. "Don't," he whispered, leaning down into her ear.

"What?" She looked confused.

"Don't slip back into that…don't shut yourself off from the world."

"What are you talking about?" She followed him from the restaurant and they made their way back to the Ministry.

"Don't put up those walls. At least not with me. We're friends, right?"

"Of course, but what—"

"I see it in your eyes. Whenever you think about your parents or what's happened, it's like…it's like the life is gone from them, from your eyes. It's…scary. Sad, too. I don't like seeing you like that."

Hermione nodded. "Okay. But I can't help how I feel."

"I know. But, just don't shut yourself off, okay?"

The pair of them headed into the Atrium and proceeded towards the elevators that led back to her office. He gave her a hug as they waited to arrive at her floor. The elevator opened and he followed Hermione back to her office.

They sat down, across from one another. Hermione picked up the papers that she had been working while Draco sat in front of her desk, content to just watch her at work. After a few moments, Hermione looked up and sighed.

"Are you just going to stare at me for the rest of the day?"

"If you want me to." Draco smirked at her. She smiled at him. He could tell she tried to reach her smile to her eyes. "Thank you for trying."

"I guess I have to move on sometime."

"Not without acceptance, though."

Hermione nodded and smiled at him again. She looked down and proceeded to scribble a few things.

"What are you working on, anyway? You've been at my job so much that I find it pretty fascinating to see you at work."

Hermione gave him a stern look. "As you have your doctor-patient confidentiality, I can't tell you what I'm working on. You actually know these people."

"Okay, fair enough."

She continued to scribble and Draco continued to watch her. She looked at him and he raised his eyebrows at her, smiling. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. She threw down her pen and opened her desk drawer. Hermione pulled out a book and tossed it to Draco.

"I can't concentrate with you watching me. Here. Read."

Draco glanced down at the book Hermione tossed to him. "The Da Vinci Code? I've read this already, Hermione."

"Then read it again until you could figure out those puzzles with your eyes closed."

Draco shook his head and smiled, but opened the book to the first page. Soon, he found himself lost in the world of Robert Langdon's adventure and nearly forgot about Hermione and sitting in her office until the door suddenly opened.

"Hermione, do you have those forms completed?"

Harry Potter interrupted the comfortable silence between Hermione and Draco and stared at Draco with growing rage.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

* * *

><p>Obviously, books and different medical cases from Grey's Anatomy will be referenced in the story. For those of you who are readers, what books would you like to see in the story? I'm a reader and I'd love to hear what your favorite books are. I'd also like to add some more to my reading list.<p>

And for those of you who are also Grey's Anatomy fans, what are your favorite episodes or favorite medical cases from the show? I'd love to hear that also.

Thanks for reading everyone! Please review if you have the chance and let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

Wow, thanks for all the suggestions and recommendations for books and Grey's episodes! I will most definitely try and include everyone's suggestions in the story, though it'll probably be spread out through the next few chapters or so.

I find that it's actually easier to reply to the reviews in here. Less clicking for me. :D

-** viewfromafar**: Thank you so much! And I love the suggestions you had for Draco and Hermione. Keep a close eye on this chapter! Thanks for your input.

-**OffMyTea: **Thank you! I'll try to update once or twice a week!

-**hungrybookworm:** Ooh, heart in a box was one of my favorite episodes! I'll have to take special care of that one.

-**cascol3: **I don't think Draco and Hermione ever really got to know the "real" them when they were at Hogwarts, obviously. I like them getting to know each other, too.

-**clairerichardson711: **Thank you so much! The friendship will continue to grow and feelings start to appear...:D

-**Miss Howard: **Thank you! More Grey's references in this chapter!

-**TempeAvril: **I'm going to try my best here: Muchas gracias! Me encanta ese capitulo, tambien. Me ha dado una gran idea para un futuro capitulo. I hope that was okay! Been a long time since I took Spanish in school.

-**nature_love95: **Thank you! Read on for more!

-**Wudelfin: **Fantastic recommendations! It's been a long time since I've read the Dune series, but now I'd like to start on the Halo series. I enjoy all types of genres, so thanks for the recommendations, too! I agree with you that Tolkien, Robb, and Verne are great, but overused. Thanks for reading!

-**Gina619: **Thank you so much! More Grey's and books in this chapter, too!

Here's the new chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Harry, calm down. He's here because of me," Hermione said. She held up a stack of papers for Potter. "Here."<p>

"What? Why?" Potter grabbed the papers from Hermione and looked at Draco. "What are you doing here? Where've you been? I thought Ginny was exaggerating when she said you went off with Malfoy that time, but…what's going on here?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Nothing." She gestured to Draco in front of her. "Draco's just reading a book."

Draco looked up at him and saw Potter staring deeply into Hermione's eyes. Evidently, Potter also saw what Draco did. That lifeless look in Hermione's eyes.

"Are you okay, Hermione?"

She nodded. "Yes, I am." Hermione quickly glanced at Draco before looking back at her friend. "Um…I know I've been kind of out of it for the past three months, but...I guess I just want to apologize, Harry."

Potter looked taken aback. He cast Draco a curious look before turning his attention back to Hermione. "It's…it's all right, Hermione. I just, I hope you're okay. We're here for you, you know that right? Me and Gin and even Ron. He doesn't—he's not mad at you. We're all here for you."

A look of irritation flit across her face. "Okay," she said. Her voice grew oddly formal. "Thank you, Harry. I have to get back to work now."

"Hermione, come over tonight for supper. Ginny'll be happy to see you again. I know she misses you."

"Harry, I'm really busy." Hermione gestured to the door. "I'll talk to you later."

"Tonight, supper, okay? Seven tonight? I'll let Ginny know."

"I…I have plans, Harry." She looked down quickly, knowing that Harry could read her like a book. "I'm busy."

"Then if your plans fall through, come over, okay. Please." He stepped forward, extending his hand, but Hermione didn't glance up from her work, so Potter slowly walked backwards, toward the door.

Draco watched the scene unfold before him in interest. Potter didn't spare him another glance as he walked out of her office and shut the door. Draco saw Hermione' s pink cheeks and opened the book again as if he didn't see or hear anything.

A few moments later, Hermione dropped her quill. "Um, Draco—"

"Hermione, do you want to come over to my place for supper tonight?"

"What?"

"That way you weren't not lying to Potter when you said you have plans for tonight. He doesn't have to know you made them after he asked you."

"Oh. Okay. Thank you." She looked at Draco with a twinkle in her eyes and a smirk on her lips. "But how do you know that I don't really have plans?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "I don't. But the offer still stands."

Hermione laughed. "Thanks. Is seven okay?"

"Seven's fine," Draco replied. He resumed reading the book.

"I'm not keeping you from anything, am I?" Hermione asked. "You don't have to sit around my office, you know."

Draco held up the book. "This was actually going to be plan at home. Not necessarily with this book, but what I was going to do today. So you're actually giving me a social life."

Hermione laughed. "Like the great Draco Malfoy doesn't have one already."

Draco smiled. "I don't. Not anymore, at least. Not since I became a doctor. I couldn't even hang on to my girlfriend."

Hermione gave him a strange look. "I didn't know you had a girlfriend, Draco. I suppose I've been monopolizing your time today."

"No matter, Hermione. She's not my girlfriend anymore. Astoria broke up with me weeks ago. Moved to America, last I heard."

"Oh. Astoria Greengrass?"

Draco nodded. "Yeah. Slytherin, a couple years below us? I don't suppose you would remember her. Her sister was in our year, Daphne."

"Why'd she break up with you?"

"We grew apart. It wasn't the same, I guess."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Strangely enough, I'm not. But thank you."

Hermione grew deep in thought. "I broke up with Ron a few weeks ago."

"I heard."

"We were engaged to be married."

Draco nodded. He didn't know what to say. "Are you happier without him?" he asked, mentally kicking himself. That was a stupid thing to ask.

Hermione shrugged. "I'm more content without him."

Draco nodded again. He gestured to her desk. "You should get back to work."

Hermione nodded and turned back to her desk. Draco resumed his place in the book again. Another few hours passed and Hermione stood from her desk and stretched her arms over her head. She opened a few drawers and placed some things in her bag. Hermione grabbed her sweater and looked at Draco expectantly.

He saved his place towards the end of the book and gave her an irritated look. "What? I'm nearly finished."

Hermione laughed and gestured to the Muggle clock on her desk. "It's time to go, Draco. I don't know about you, but I have plans at seven."

Draco looked at the time. It was close to six. "I guess this would be a bad time to tell you that I don't have food at home, so we'd have to stop by a grocery store."

"Well, let's get a move on then." Hermione smiled at him as she locked the door to her office. They exchanged light conversation as they proceeded down the hall, ignoring everyone around them. She pressed the button to the elevator and Draco followed her onto it for a second time.

About an hour later, they arrived at Draco's flat. He fumbled with his keys before slowly turning it in the lock. Draco didn't have much in his flat, although he did have a couch, a love seat, and a television set in his living area.

"Can you cook, Draco?" Hermione asked, following him into the kitchen. She placed the grocery bags on the counter and leaned against the counter.

"Of course I can." He pulled out the refried beans and tortillas from the grocery bag. "You were in the mood for Mexican food, right? Because if you couldn't tell that that's where I was going…then you should seriously change your name. Hermione Granger is supposed to the one who knows everything, right?" He winked at her.

"Oh, come on, Draco, I'm not that daft," she replied, pulling out the ground beef.

"Not that daft? The Hermione Granger I remember isn't daft at all," he teased. He rubbed his chin. "And she packed quite a punch."

"Really? You're going to bring that up?"

Draco shrugged and laughed. He quickly moved around the kitchen, pulling out plates and other things that he needed to cook.

"Do you need help, Draco?"

Draco shook his head. He reached around her and pulled out his wand. He waved it and everything moved on its own. "I got it. Thanks, though."

Hermione smiled. "You with a wand. I almost forgot you were a wizard."

"Hermione Granger almost forgetting that Draco Malfoy was a wizard," he said wryly. "If you had said that statement about ten years ago, it would have warranted you a hex."

"I…thank you, Draco." She looked at him with a small smile playing on her lips.

"For what?"

"Everything." She stared at him for a few moments before moving into the living room. "Where do you keep your books? I want to—"

"Compare libraries?" Draco shook his head and laughed. He glanced at the oven. "The food will be ready in about fifteen minutes." He wiped his hands on a dishtowel and threw it on the counter. "It's this way."

Hermione took care to look around his flat as they walked through it. "Your house is very…clean."

Draco bit back a laugh. "Thanks? I don't usually spend much time here to mess it up since I'm usually at the hospital."

"It's nice, though."

Draco nodded. "Okay. Here, Hermione." He pushed open a door and led Hermione in. Books filled the walls, from ceiling to ground. There were islands of bookcases in the center of the room as well.

"Wow," Hermione breathed. "I never took you to be a reader." She went to the nearest shelf and ran her hand along the spines of the books.

"I guess we never got around to talking about it back at Hogwarts."

"Maybe we could've if you weren't such a prat!"

Draco laughed. "Feel free to look around and borrow whatever you want to read."

"I probably read a majority of these books, anyway," Hermione said in a matter-of-fact voice. She gave him a slightly condescending look with her nose in the air.

"Probably." Draco looked amused.

"But I guess I'll look around."

"If you want." Draco rolled his eyes at her. "I'll be out in the kitchen. Don't forget to eat. I bet Potter will have my head if you miss a meal."

Hermione rolled her eyes at him, but didn't say anything. She continued to look through the shelves and pulled out some books that looked interesting to her.

Draco slowly stepped backwards out of the room he affectionately called his library. He knew Hermione would appreciate this room and his growing collection. It was the one thing that he was proud of from his childhood. He always liked books and how you could get lost in a world completely different than his own.

He cleaned up the kitchen and set up plates and forks the Muggle way. Draco wasn't sure what Hermione wanted to drink, so he put out a pitcher of water and a couple of glasses.

"Hermione?" he called through the flat. "Food's ready." She didn't emerge from the library, so Draco waved his wand at the food to keep it warm. He moved towards the library and knocked on the door as he looked into the room. "Hey, food's ready."

Hermione looked up from her spot on the floor. She was surrounded by books. "These are amazing, Draco! You've got volumes in here from the medieval times!"

Draco smiled. "There's more at the library in the Manor. I could show it to you sometime.'

"That would be great, thanks!"

"And you can borrow whatever you want to read."

Hermione nodded absentmindedly. She seemed to be dividing up the books on the floor into three piles.

"Hey, Hermione! Food. Eat. Now. Hurry. The hunger's stopped me from forming real sentences."

Hermione reluctantly stood up. "Okay." She looked longingly at the books as she left the piles for the kitchen.

"Relax, Hermione, they'll be there when you get back."

"But you might mess them up," she protested.

"Mess them up? I'll be out here the entire time."

"Do you have a pet or anything?"

Draco snorted. "Me, a pet? No. I'm not home enough to have a pet."

"Well, all right, then." She sat next to Draco at his small dining table. "This smells good, Draco."

"Thanks. Let's just hope it tastes as good as it smells."

"And if it doesn't?" Hermione smirked at him.

Draco gestured toward his Muggle mobile phone on the counter. "I have the number to the pizza place down the street saved in my mobile."

Hermione laughed and took a bite. "Mmm, this is good, Draco!"

"Don't sound so surprised."

"You've been surprising me a lot lately, Draco."

"Oh? How so?"

"For starters, I never would've imagined you to be a Muggle doctor. Tell me more about your experiences at the hospital. Any other stories? Which case touched you the most?"

"Besides yours?" Draco gave her a small smile.

She nodded reluctantly. "Yeah, besides mine, I guess."

Draco chewed thoughtfully. "When I was an intern, I had a case where this couple was having a baby. The woman was nearly due to give birth and she landed in the hospital because she slipped in the shower. I was on the OB's services for that week." A look of sadness crossed his face.

"What happened?"

"The baby…we couldn't find a heartbeat. And its position in the body, we couldn't operate without causing more damage to the woman."

"How sad."

"The worse part was that she still had to go through labor and give birth, knowing that her son was…was stillborn."

Hermione wiped tears from her eyes.

"I still think about that a lot," Draco said. He sniffed and discreetly wiped a tear from his eye.

"Tell me another case. A happy one this time."

"Um…there was a kid that came into the hospital once and he had no ears."

"What?"

"Well, his mother worked at the hospital and he somehow found his way to the surgical wing. And the kid could still hear, but he didn't have any external ears, I guess you would say. You see some crazy things in the hospital."

"I could only imagine. What ended up happening?"

"His mother didn't have enough money to cover the operation after the insurance, so he couldn't have it. But the kid and I, we walked around the hospital practically begging the nurses and a few other surgeons to take the case on pro-bono."

"Oh, that's nice."

Draco nodded and smiled. "He was a cute kid. I haven't seen him since his post-op appointments a few years ago. Should be doing fine if he hasn't been back." He scraped the remains of his meal onto his fork and shoved it into his mouth. He chewed silently and swallowed before looking at Hermione again. "So tell me something about you now. Why the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?"

"I don't know. I started out at the Ministry in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. At Hogwarts, I started a group in support for house-elves."

"SPEW, from what I remember. I remember the Gryffindors wearing those badges."

"It wasn't called SPEW!"

Draco smirked at her. He waved his hand for her to continue.

"Anyway, I worked there for a few years to improve the life of house-elves and other creatures, like werewolves."

"What made you leave?"

"I did what I set out to do. House-elves are now paid for their work and are required to have vacation days—"

"How many house-elves hate you now?" He laughed. "Kidding, Hermione."

"They were rather annoyed at me, but I'm sure they see now how much freedom they have."

Draco laughed. "So why the Department of Magical Law Enforcement?"

"Well, initially I moved there to be closer to…well, to Ron. He's an Auror with Harry, you know. And as I've been studying and researching the magical laws, I noticed how many pro-pureblood laws we had. So I've been trying to put an end and overturn some of those."

"Some of them?"

"All of them," she corrected herself.

Draco nodded. "How's that going for you? I don't keep up with wizard news unless my mother tells me what's going on. But she's usually more interested in the gossip magazines. Doesn't like bad news, especially after the war."

"It's taking a lot longer to pass than it did for the house-elves and all, but with Kingsley as the Minister, it's been okay, I guess. It could be worse."

"Well, if you need a statement from a pureblooded wizard, whose ancestors probably wrote some of those laws, just let me know."

"Thanks. I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Draco looked at her empty plate. "You could get back to my books now. I know you're itching to get back in there. I'll clean up."

"What kind of guest would I be if I just left you to clean up? I'll do it. You already made dinner. And saved me from going to Harry's."

Draco smiled. "Why didn't you want to go? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're here, but you've been inseparable from Potter since first year."

"They stifle me," Hermione answered after a moment. She looked into Draco's caring eyes. They were so different from the cold ones that always stared back at her when they were at Hogwarts. "They hover and always ask me questions."

"They just care for you, Hermione."

She nodded. "I guess I just needed a change. They don't understand me. I love them, but they don't. I like how sometimes we don't have to talk to pass the time. With them, it seems like every second needs to be filled with something. Sometimes I just want to be able to think." She smiled at him as she placed the dishes in the sink and turned the sink on. "And I like how you know when to distract me. I don't know if you could tell, but I notice that you know when I need to be distracted. So, thanks."

"You're welcome. Again, whenever you're ready to talk, I'm here."

"I know." She waved her wand at the sink and washed the dishes magically. A few seconds later, she dried them and carefully placed it in the dishwasher.

"You could head back there now." Draco grinned. "I'm sure the books are itching to have you thumb through them."

Hermione laughed. She tried not to run back to the library and grimaced when Draco sat down next to her. "You might ruin my piles," she said, forgetting that she was sitting in his house.

Draco laughed. "Really? I might ruin the piles?"

"Sorry." A pink tint appeared on her cheeks.

"So, what's your system here?" Draco asked, gesturing to the three piles.

"This pile is a set of books that I want to borrow now. These could wait a couple of weeks and these are books that I want to find additional readings on."

"Wow, okay, then." He laughed and looked through the books she picked out. "Interesting selection. In a Gothic literature mood, Hermione?"

She nodded in response. "I find that Gothic literature fits my mood lately." She shrugged. "Reading helps me escape."

"Me too," he said. He picked up the first few books and glanced at the titles. "Dracula? Frankenstein? Don't tell me you haven't read these books yet."

"Well, maybe I'd like to reread them! I left most of my books at home when I moved into my flat, so…"

"Oh. They're still at your parent's house."

Hermione nodded, feeling tears in her eyes. "They left the house and everything to me and I just haven't got the stomach to go back."

Draco nodded. "Well, feel free to borrow away, then. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, I guess."

Draco pulled out a book from his bookshelf. "Have you ever read the Dune series?" He pushed a thick, old paperback into Hermione's hands. "Nothing says escape like science fiction, right?"

"You know, I've never actually read this."

"What! You've got to be kidding me."

Hermione shook her head. "Nope, not at all. It's always been on my reading lists, though."

"Will you read it?"

Hermione nodded. "I'll get started on it first."

Draco smiled. "Good. And next time you can recommend a good book for me to read."

"What sort of genres do you like?"

"I'll read any and all."

"But what do you like? Just because you read a lot of different types of books doesn't mean you like them all."

"I like…I dunno, thrillers, I guess."

Hermione smiled. "Okay. I'll come up with something for you, then." She furrowed her brow thoughtfully. "So you like stuff like _The Da Vinci Code?" _

"Yeah, I guess you would say so."

"Maybe you'd like something from Matthew Reilly. His Jack West, Jr. series are really good."

Draco nodded and smiled. "I'll be sure to check them out."

She nodded, but glanced worriedly at the piles of books. "Are you going to read any of these?" she asked.

Draco shook his head. "No, these piles are safe. You have my word."

"What are you going to do tomorrow? You're off, right?"

Draco nodded. "Probably visit my mum and my aunt. And Teddy. I haven't seen him for awhile. You know Teddy, right? He's—"

"Tonks and Lupin's son. I remember. How is he?"

"I guess he's fine. I haven't seen him for a few weeks. He's getting ready to go to Hogwarts for the first time, though."

"Oh wow. Time flies, doesn't it?"

Draco nodded. "Yeah, it sure does. In some ways. In other ways, it takes forever to go through a day. Like when we were at Hogwarts."

"It took forever to go through a day at Hogwarts? Time flew when we were at Hogwarts!"

Draco laughed. "Just because you clamored to stay in class all the time!"

"I did not!"

"If you could've, you would've, right?"

Hermione shook her head, but didn't say anything. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was nearing midnight. "Oh wow, I have to go. I have work in the morning."

"What time do you head off to work?"

"I try to get there around seven or eight."

"Oh, well good luck then." He smirked at her and helped Hermione to her feet. He picked up the pile of books that she said she wanted to borrow now. "Do you want to Apparate from my living room?"

"That would be great. And here, I was trying to come up with how much it'll cost for me to take a taxi back to my flat."

Draco laughed. "Does it come second nature to you? The Muggle ways? Or is it the first thing you think of?"

"It depends. Normally, I think of the magical way first and then the Muggle way. I've been in the magical world for so long that I don't know if I could go back to living as a Muggle."

"It's not so bad."

"You don't live as a Muggle, Draco."

"I do in public!"

Hermione laughed. "Not the same at all." She stood in front of the couch and held her hands out for the pile of books. "Thanks for letting me borrow these."

"No problem. Take your time finishing them." Draco passed the books into her hands. He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I hope you had a good night."

"I did. Thank you for helping me smile for at least one night."

"You're welcome. It's a fairly nice smile, so you should do it more often." He winked at her. "And again, if you need to talk, Hermione, you know where to find me."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"I hope it's not another two weeks that I see you again."

"I do, too." She smiled at him and leaned up to give him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

Draco nodded. "Have a good night, Hermione."

"You too, Draco."

In a flash and a loud crack, Hermione disappeared from his living room. Draco stood in his living room for a few more seconds before heading to his bedroom. He really enjoyed her company tonight and hoped he would see her soon. He had the day off tomorrow, so Draco thought about dropping by the Ministry again to have lunch with her again.

Draco went to sleep that night happier and more content than he had been in a long time.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading!<p>

Again, keep those book recommendations and Grey's episodes coming! Draco has lots of stories to tell about the hospital and it'd be great to hear what's your favorite episode or case.

Please review if you have the chance! I love hearing your thoughts and your input. You all just make me want to write more and more! I'll try and update this regularly, so you don't have to wait long for a new chapter.

Have a great day everyone!


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for the reviews and the alerts & favorites! I really appreciate it!

**: **Yes, Grey's Anatomy! I love this show!

**alekeneka: **Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!

**OffMyTea: **Again, thank you! Thanks for reading!

**NazChick: **Wow, I'm glad you like it! Thank you!

Here's the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

><p>Hermione woke up more rested than she had been in a long time. She quickly glanced at the clock on her nightstand and reached over her bed to turn off the alarm. She had only a few hours of sleep, but she felt ready to get on with the day.<p>

After Apparating from Draco's home, she told herself that she should go straight to bed so she'd be up and ready for work the next day. But she couldn't resist reading at least one chapter from _Dune. _Of course, one chapter led to another, which led to another, which led to another, until Hermione heard the bells of the Muggle newspaper boy. She finally and reluctantly closed her eyes so she could have some rest and when she awoke, she felt better than she had in a long time.

Hermione went through her normal morning routine. She followed the same order that she normally does—showering, brushing her teeth, getting dressed, and quickly fixing her hair. She ate cereal and had an apple for breakfast, before deciding she wanted to do something different today. She settled for walking to the Ministry and enter through the visitor's entrance, though she could've just Apparated into work. She just wanted to have some time to think to herself.

She felt better today. Better than she had in a long time. And she knew she had Draco to thank for that. She didn't know why she wouldn't tell Harry or Ginny or even Ron about her parents. She didn't want to face it yet. The reality of her parents' death.

But at least Draco knew. Draco was there. He comforted her and told her exactly what she needed to know. He made her laugh and distracted her when she needed it.

And now she felt like there was a light in all the darkness that she'd been surrounded in. A light in the form of Draco Malfoy, her old childhood nemesis.

Hermione remembered thinking it was odd to seeing Draco at a Muggle hospital. It didn't register in her mind that it was Draco Malfoy—the same guy who tormented her in school—until after she buried her parents alone.

"He probably would've came," she thought, thinking about Draco. But she didn't even think about Draco until she saw him a month and a half after she buried them at the Leaky Cauldron.

That was a pleasant surprise.

Hermione remembered being annoyed with Ginny. Ginny kept going on and on about Hermione and Ron's upcoming wedding and how the pair of them would be raising their children together. Hermione was glad when Draco interrupted them. She felt bad for leaving a pregnant Ginny by herself, but Hermione just had to get away.

Everyone had different ways of dealing with their grief. Hermione chose to keep it inside.

She knew it was killing her. She knew she changed and was different. Ron started looking at her differently, then Harry, and finally Ginny. Everyone at work skirted past her door, afraid she might chew them out for making a simple mistake.

Hermione felt bad for how she treated them, but she couldn't bring herself to apologize or to change her actions. She thought apologizing to Harry yesterday was a step in the right direction. She at least acknowledged to him that she knew she was acting differently.

But Draco…he was slowly helping her put the pieces back together. And he probably didn't even know it.

She approached the phone booth with a slight sense of déjà vu. Hermione remembered when she and her friends came to the Ministry through this entrance so many years ago to try and rescue Sirius Black. She shook her head and smiled as she went through the entrance and proceeded through the Atrium.

"Hold the elevator, please!" she called, running to catch up to the last open one. "Thank you," she said, reaching over to press a button. She stopped when she saw it was already lit up.

"No problem."

Hermione looked up at the sound of the familiar voice. It was only she and Ron in the elevator. She felt the tension in the elevator rise. While they left things pretty amiable, Hermione knew she had hurt Ron and the rest of the Weasleys when she broke off their engagement and their relationship. But she just didn't love Ron like that.

It was her mother that initially questioned her love for Ron. A year ago, her mother started dropping hints that she didn't think Ron and Hermione should be getting married, despite their past together. It was after Ron proposed and Hermione told her parents.

_"Mum?" Hermione asked. "Aren't you happy for us?"_

_Hermione's mother nodded and smiled. Hermione noticed that the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "Of course I am. But Hermione, dear, is he who you really want?"_

_"Of course!" Hermione replied, a bit defensively. "Ron and I have been together since we were at Hogwarts!"_

_"And a lot of things have happened since Hogwarts. You have both grown up. And I hate to say it, but it looks like you've grown apart. What do you two even talk about anymore?"_

_"We talk about a lot of things!"_

_"Like what?" _

_"He tells me about his missions and the people he meets and I—" Hermione faltered, knowing that Ron never bothered to listen to her when she told him about her work._

_Her mother gave her a sad, but knowing smile. "I just want you to be happy, dear."_

_"Ron makes me happy!"_

_"If he does, then I support you and I love you. But I wouldn't be a mother if I didn't voice my opinion, now would I?"_

After she buried her parents, Hermione thought long and hard about that particular conversation. She spent the rest of that month and weeks after observing Ron and how he responded to her. There were a few times when Hermione gathered up her Gryffindor courage and was about to tell Ron what happened to her parents, but Ron never seemed to want to listen to Hermione.

It's always been like that, Hermione remembered. Even at Hogwarts. Hermione always just overlooked it because of her love for him.

"How've you been, Ron?" Hermione asked in a falsely cheerful voice. It sounded fake even to her ears.

"Fine, I guess," he answered. "Harry said Malfoy was in your office yesterday."

A twinge of annoyance flowed through Hermione. She didn't like his tone of voice and it sounded as if he was about to tell her off.

"Yes, why does that matter?" she replied.

"What's he doing there?"

"We were catching up."

"You and Malfoy? Malfoy disappeared from the Wizarding World and he just shows up in your office?"

"He didn't disappear completely from the Wizarding World. He moved to Muggle London, but that's not any of your business."

"Muggle London? Malfoy hates Muggles!"

"Well, I guess he's changed, then."

"If you broke up with me to get with him—"

"I didn't." Hermione's voice grew low and dangerous. "Draco is a friend of mine. A better friend than you have been in the course of our whole relationship."

Ron shot her a look of death. He walked off the elevator without a second glance to her.

Hermione sighed and followed him off the elevator. She gave Harry a small smile and a slight wave before disappearing into her office. She took off her jacket and placed it on the coat rack behind the door and emptied her purse of the things that she would need that day.

She readied herself for the inevitable. And sure enough, two minutes later, there was a knock at her door.

"Come in," she said in a defeated voice.

Harry walked through the door and shut it before taking a seat. The same one that Draco sat in the day before.

"Hermione…" he started.

"Yes?" she replied. She pulled out a stack of forms and began rifling through them.

"I just spoke to Ron."

Hermione sighed and rubbed her temple. "I didn't leave Ron for Draco, no matter what he says."

"I know. I believe you. I just…" Harry sighed. "Hermione, please look at me."

Hermione dropped what she was doing and looked up.

"I don't—I don't know what's going on with you, but it's apparent that there is. I saw how you were just a few days ago and how you were when Malfoy was here yesterday. Even for just the few minutes that I saw you, it was almost like you were back to your old self. If Malfoy is helping you through whatever, then okay. I'll sit back and wait for you to come to me."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears. "Thank you."

"He seems different, too. Malfoy. How did you two meet up?"

Hermione shook her head. "I can't, Harry. I'm sorry."

"Okay, I'm pushing." Harry stood up. "We love you. Don't forget that, okay."

Hermione nodded. "Okay."

"I'll get Ron to back off."

"Thanks."

Harry gave her a smile before he walked out of Hermione's office. Hermione saw him shaking his head as he walked away and she wondered why. She brushed it from her mind and tried to focus on her work.

This particular piece of law was difficult to understand since it was written in old Latin. Hermione spent the rest of the morning and nearly part of the afternoon slowly deciphering what was written. She forgot that about lunch until her stomach growled loudly, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since breakfast that morning.

Hermione stretched her legs and her arms. She moved her neck around, hearing the pops as she stretched. She walked out of her office and shut door, turning her back to everyone in the hallway as she waved her wand to set up protective wards.

"Let me guess—late lunch?" A hand was placed on the small of her back and Hermione felt someone lean into her.

Hermione flinched at the contact and turned around with her wand up.

Draco held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, don't come up behind you when you're hungry! I got it!"

"Draco," Hermione replied in relief. She grinned at him. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "I got bored at home and figured you'd be hungry or something."

"How do you know I haven't eaten yet?" At that precise moment, her stomach churned loudly.

Draco smirked. "Well, aside from the dulcet tones coming from your midsection, I was taking a gamble. Looks like I was right."

"I don't have time for a long lunch today, Draco," she replied apologetically. "I just need to get something quick."

"Well, there is a something called 'fast food' in the Muggle world, you know."

Hermione smiled and nodded. "Of course."

"What are you working on?" Draco asked, keeping up with her fast pace to the elevator.

"There's this law that I've been poring over all morning. I can't understand it. It's written in some old language."

"Hmm. Can I look at it? Maybe I could help."

"If you want." Hermione's stomach growled again. "I'm starving."

Draco laughed. "There's a McDonald's across the street. Why don't you large-size your meal?"

"I plan on it."

They quickly walked through the Atrium and headed out of the building. They dodged the crowded streets and ducked into the nearest McDonald's. Hermione ordered for herself and waited for Draco to place his order so she could pay for their meals.

"I ran into Ron this morning," Hermione said. She balanced their two drinks in one hand as she pulled out her wand.

"Oh? What did he say?"

Hermione shrugged. "Seemed to think I broke it off with him so I get with you."

Draco looked amused. "And what did you say?"

Hermione shrugged again. "I said you're a better friend than he ever was."

"Ouch. Harsh, much?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "And then Harry came in and spoke to me. He asked about you, too, but he said he'd get Ron to back off."

"Oh, good, so I don't have two Aurors after me."

Hermione laughed. "They have no reason to be after you." She unlocked her office door and pushed her papers aside.

Draco set down the bags on her desk and pulled out his burger. He unwrapped it carefully and held it up. "Thanks for lunch."

"No problem. Thanks for your books. They kept me up till nearly four this morning."

"Don't blame the books. That's all on you!"

Hermione laughed and they fell into an easy discussion about _Dune_, which kept Hermione up until the wee hours of the morning. She and Draco compared the decline of the empire in the book with the decline and corruption of the Ministry of Magic so many years ago. Draco also discreetly stole some of Hermione's French fries throughout their lunch.

"They must've given you more or something," Hermione said. She looked into her bag, hoping some of her fries had fallen out of the small box. Draco just smirked at her.

He wiped his hands on a napkin. "Where is that law that you've been trying to translate?"

"Oh! Right here." She reached for the paper before remembering her fingers were greasy. Draco slipped it from her fingers before Hermione laid a hand on it. "Thanks."

Draco nodded in response. He read over the difficult words a few times before setting it back on her desk.

"Did any of it sound familiar to you?"

Draco shook his head. "There were a few words that I recognized, but nothing. There might be some books at the Manor that could help, though. I'll look there tomorrow."

"You don't have to," Hermione said immediately. "Don't you have work or something?"

"Tomorrow's my last day off."

"Oh, I'm off tomorrow, too. It's the weekend."

"Do you want to come with me? We could stop by the Manor for a few hours or so. If you want to."

Hermione shook her head slightly. "As surprising as this might be, I don't want to think about work on my day off."

Draco grinned. "You should take more days off. You owe yourself, you know. I'm sure Shacklebolt would let you if he knew what happened."

"I can't tell him yet."

"Then do you want to go to the Manor to see the library?"

Hermione smiled at him. "That does sound appealing, but…do you want to just hang out tomorrow?"

Draco smiled at her. "That sounds lovely. Are you going to plan the day or shall I?"

"What if we just see where the day leads us?"

"Whoa, Granger without a plan! I thought you reveled in making plans."

"I do. But not everything goes according to plan, right? I certainly didn't plan on being in a car accident with my parents."

Draco smiled at Hermione's mention of the accident. She usually never brought it up and when she did, she never actually brought up the words 'car accident.' "Where shall we meet and what time?"

"Your flat, around 8?"

Draco nodded. "Sounds good." He furrowed his brow, looking at her. "One condition, though."

"Okay."

"You have to go along with whatever I say tomorrow."

"I have one condition, too."

"What is it?"

"We stay in the Muggle world. I don't want to be in the Wizarding World."

"Ashamed of being seen with me?" Draco asked in a joking manner.

Hermione looked angrily at him. "Of course not." She looked down. "Being in the Muggle world makes me feel closer to them."

"Oh." Draco was sorry for his comment. "Okay then. So do you agree with my terms?"

"Do you agree with mine?"

"Yes."

"All right, then." Hermione smiled and stuck out her hand for him to shake. Draco shook her hand and stood. He gathered his trash and his jacket. "You're leaving?" She looked sad at the prospect.

Draco nodded. "I have to meet my mother and my aunt."

"Oh, of course."

"Thank you for lunch."

"It's no problem."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"I know."

"Keep my books safe."

"I'll try."

Draco opened the door to her office and looked back. "You're doing it again."

"What?"

"Shutting down on me."

Hermione looked at him earnestly. "I just thought—oh, it was stupid."

"You thought what?"

"Well, you stayed until I left yesterday and…" she trailed off, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Draco smiled. He set down his jacket on her chair and put his arm around her, hugging her shoulders. "I'll come back for my jacket later." He squeezed her shoulder. "I'll see you in a couple hours."

"Okay."

Hermione felt decidedly better and didn't know why. Well, she knew why and it was because of Draco. He really did distract her from everything. And he really did make her feel comfortable enough to talk to him.

"See you later, Hermione." Draco smiled at her as he walked out of the door.

"Thank you," she said softly.

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><p>So where do you want to see Draco and Hermione visit in Muggle London? Let me know!<p>

And thanks for reading! Please review and let me know what you think!


	7. Chapter 7

Hello all!

Thanks for reading! I'll respond to all of your reviews in the next chapter. I just wanted to quickly post this one up because it's kind of a "part 2" of the last chapter, kind of a filler chapter, I suppose.

Keep those suggestions coming for where you want to see Draco and Hermione go!

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><p>Draco smiled to himself as he headed back down the hallway toward the elevator. He knew that he and Hermione decided on no plans for the next day, but Draco couldn't resist formulating some sort of plan already. He walked onto the elevator and pushed the button for the Atrium.<p>

"Hold the elevator!"

Draco instinctively stuck an arm out to hold the elevator.

"Thank you."

Draco nodded and saw who just walked on the elevator with him. "Potter," he said civilly.

"Malfoy," he responded in an equally civil, yet cold voice.

"Congratulations on your future baby. I saw your wife a few weeks ago."

"Yeah, she told me about that. With Hermione, right? At the Leaky Cauldron? And thanks."

Draco nodded. He wanted to press the button repeatedly so it would go faster, but he knew that had no bearing on how fast the elevator traveled.

"I saw you coming out of Hermione's office."

Draco nodded. "We met for lunch."

"Is this an ongoing thing? How long have the pair of you been…lunch buddies?"

"This is actually the second time I've met her here for lunch, not that it's any of your business, Potter."

"I'm worried about her."

"You do know how to cut right to the case, don't you, Potter."

"Do you know what's wrong with her?"

Draco sighed. "Yes—"

"What is it? We're her friends, Malfoy, not you. We should be there for her, not you."

"Well, it appears that I'm her friend now, too. And I'm here for her, too."

"What's wrong with her? Why has she been so distant? So…lifeless?"

"It's not my place to tell, Potter. She's…she's not ready to face it. But…she's getting there."

"Why has she let you in?"

"I don't know," Draco answered truthfully. "Maybe because I was there, so she didn't have to tell me anything. Maybe because she's unattached to me, so once she gets through this, she never has to talk to me about it again. I think when she talks about it, it hurts even more because she has to relive it."

"What's happened?"

"I'm not telling you anything, Potter."

Potter sighed and leaned back against the wall. "I just want to help her."

"Me too."

The elevator stopped and Draco walked off with Potter close behind. "Malfoy—"

"Yes?" Draco turned and stopped in the middle of the Atrium.

"Ginny's mum is throwing her a baby shower in two weeks. It'll be at the Burrow. Things between Ginny and Hermione have been…frosty since that time at the Leaky Cauldron. I know Ginny'll be happy to have Hermione there, but she won't swallow her pride enough to invite Hermione herself."

"So you've had to swallow your pride to ask me?" Draco smirked and looked at Potter, feeling a bit smug. He knew how difficult it was for Potter to ask him for help, but that didn't keep Draco from enjoying it.

"Of course I did."

"I'll try to persuade Hermione to come. But you know how she is."

Potter gave him a grim smile. "Unfortunately, I do." He stuck his hand out for Draco to shake. "I'm glad she has someone. Even if that person's you."

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment." Draco shook Potter's hand and nodded at him, preparing to leave. He turned away, but hesitated a bit. Draco looked back at Potter and opened his mouth, feeling the need to explain a bit to him. "This…friendship with Hermione really just started. Only this week. We just ran into each other and shared a meal. Talked to one another. I—I feel the need to make sure you knew. I don't want people to think that she broke it off with whoever else to start things up with me. I don't want people to start rumours about her. Especially ones that are completely untrue."

Potter nodded slowly, listening to every word. "Okay. And thanks, Malfoy."

Draco nodded to him, ready to turn around. He felt like he and Potter came to some sort of understanding, a common ground that they could never find at Hogwarts. "See you around, Potter."

"See you, Malfoy. And you're invited to come to the baby shower, too, you know."

"Right. I'll keep that in mind."

Draco turned on his heel and exited out of the Ministry through the visitor's entrance. He could've used one of the Apparition points, but the visitor's entrance led to Muggle London and Draco wanted to head to some of the shops there to buy Teddy a gift.

After searching through the Muggle stores, Draco found what he was looking for and Disapparated to meet his mother, aunt, and cousin in Diagon Alley. He sat and had tea with the remaining members of his family and spent the rest of the afternoon teasing Teddy about the four Hogwarts Houses and how the Sorting Hat may decide that Teddy just wasn't Hogwarts material and chuck him back onto the train. Of course, that statement earned him a stern gaze from his aunt and a few tears from Teddy, so Draco tried to redeem himself by describing each Hogwarts House in exceedingly great detail, highlighting all of the good attributes of each.

He was glad to finally be able to get out of there. Draco seemed to better handle Muggle kids than his own relatives. He hurried back to the Ministry, remembering that he left his jacket in Hermione's office. He rushed through the seas of witches, wizards, and other beings flooding out of the Ministry. Draco guessed Fridays at the Ministry meant the same thing it did in the Muggle world: extra weekend time.

He nearly ran toward the elevator and pushed the button to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement floor. Draco quickly walked off the elevator and hurried to Hermione's office, knocking on the door before opening it and letting himself in.

"Thought I'd forget my jacket?" he said, with a smile. His eyebrows furrowed immediately and Draco looked at the witch before him in concern. The lifeless look had returned to her eyes. "Hermione? Are you all right?"

Hermione gazed at him for a few seconds as if she didn't really believe he was there. "What?" she responded.

"What's wrong?" Draco asked, sitting in the chair across from Hermione's desk.

"Oh, nothing, I just—" She gestured to the clock. "It's after six and I thought you had forgotten…it's nothing."

Draco nodded. "I see. Well, I'm here now. I just ran a little late with Teddy and Aunt 'Dromeda. I don't think Teddy will fancy seeing me anytime soon, though."

"What did you do to the poor kid?" she asked. Her spirits seemed to be lifting a bit.

Draco grabbed Hermione's jacket and held it open for her to slide her arms through. "I might've said that the Sorting Hat would chuck him out of Hogwarts."

Hermione looked horrified. "You said that to him? I can't believe you said that to him! Don't you remember how you felt before you left to go to Hogwarts, all scared and alone?"

"Oh, come off it, Hermione. It's not like the school would reject him. He's freakin' Remus and Nymphadora Lupin's son. And he's a bloody Metamorphagus. Hogwarts was made for kids like him."

"It's still not a very nice thing to say."

"I know. I had to spend the rest of our tea reassuring him that Hogwarts did indeed want him and that none of the Houses were evil, despite what everyone thinks."

Hermione smiled. "Well. It's nice to know that not everyone is fooled by that Malfoy charm."

Draco smirked. "Nope. Just you."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "That's what you think."

"What are you doing tonight?"

"Nothing."

"Really? No plans with the Potters?"

"You know very well I don't plan on having any plans with the Potters."

"Yes. I don't understand why, though."

"Really? I'd expect you, of all people, to understand."

"I do," Draco said. He and Hermione headed for the elevators. "In some ways."

"I know." Hermione smiled at him. "I think that's why I feel comfortable around you."

"Good." Draco flashed a smile at her. "So about tonight. Mind if I tag along for supper?"

"Didn't you just come from tea?"

"Yes, but I'll be hungry in a few hours. And after I made Teddy cry, Mum and Aunt 'Dromeda refused to let me near any of the pastries!"

"Oh, Merlin, you made him cry?" Hermione looked torn between scolding Draco and laughing. She settled for shaking her head as they exited the elevators. "I can't believe you made him cry!"

"He has to toughen up somehow. His godfather is obviously soft on him."

Hermione looked as if she was about to laugh, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she looped her arm into Draco's and the pair of them headed away from the Ministry into Muggle London.

"I was thinking of doing pizza and a movie tonight, if you'd like to join me," she said.

"Of course I'd like to join you. Why do you think I came back?"

"Erm—for your jacket?"

Draco laughed. "I enjoy spending time with you, Hermione. I really do. In fact, I'm already looking forward to tomorrow." He winked at her.

"Draco, are you planning something? We said no plans!"

"Between the pair of us, could there really be something with no plans? Of course not."

Hermione groaned and swatted his arm. "Really, the one time I just want there to be no plans, you had to go and mess it all up!"

"Oh, you won't know what we're doing tomorrow. I expect you at my flat, bright and early, at 8 am sharp."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Whatever." Draco just laughed.

Two hours later, they were sitting in Hermione's living room, eating pizza and watching a movie. Actually, Draco was watching the movie, while Hermione sat in a nearby loveseat, reading Draco's book. Every once in a while, Draco would make a comment about the movie and Hermione would respond, but she wasn't really paying attention to the movie. She was thoroughly engaged by the book that she had borrowed from Draco.

During a slow part of the movie, Draco went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. He opened all of the cabinets, trying to find a glass, but saw that everything was nearly empty except for the paper plates they used.

"Hermione? Did you just move in here?" he asked. He peered at her through the kitchen window.

"What? No." She looked annoyed that he interrupted her and continued to read.

"Where's all your stuff?"

"What stuff?"

"Your glasses and plates." He pulled open a drawer. "Forks, spoons, knives."

"Oh. I gave it away."

"Why?" Draco continued pulling open drawers.

"It was my mum's."

"Oh." Draco stopped, trying to decide how he should best continue. He knew that Hermione was still in a fragile state of mind, although she seemed to be slowly healing. He liked that she felt comfortable enough around him to mention her parents again and hoped that she wouldn't shut down if he said the wrong thing. "So, what do you do about food and all?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you cook. What do you cook food with or eat food with?"

"I order take-out," she said in a matter-of-fact voice. "Or I go out to eat."

"Do you cook at all?"

"I've actually never had a chance to learn. I've only learned a couple of dishes. My mum was in the process of teaching me when she—when she died," Hermione finished in a quiet voice. She closed the book.

"Well," Draco said, coming out of the kitchen. He placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Good thing we're friends then. I could cook for you. Unless you enjoy paying for our meals all the time."

Hermione smiled at him. "Sometimes I do."

Draco leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "I'm going to go now. We have a big day tomorrow."

"Stop planning!"

"If I do and we have nothing tomorrow, you'll still be complaining!"

"Because I like to complain!"

"What? Say that again!" Draco laughed gleefully and clapped his hands.

"No!"

"Say it again!"

"Why?"

"I have to record that somehow. Hermione Granger saying that she likes to complain for the sake of complaining."

"I did not say that!" she protested, annoyed.

Draco just laughed and leaned down to give her a hug. "Big day tomorrow," he replied. "Wear comfortable clothes. Jeans, t-shirt, sneakers. No need to dress up."

"Why would I dress up for you for anyway?"

"Because I'm a Malfoy."

Hermione snorted and rolled her eyes. She stood and wrapped her arms around Draco's neck and gave him a long hug. "I only spend time with you because of your library."

"Well, that's an even trade-off then." Draco winked at her before he Disapparated from her living room.

Hermione stood in her living room, smiling at where Draco's face had been seconds before. She sat down and happily hugged a pillow to her chest.

Maybe she was finally beginning to heal.

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><p>Please review and let me know what you think! Let me know where you want to see Draco and Hermione visit!<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

Wow, thanks so much for all the reviews and new alerts/favorites! I really appreciate it and I'm glad you are all enjoying the story as much as I am having fun writing it. I love hearing your guys' thoughts and suggestions!

**NazChick**: Thanks for the suggestion about Kensington Gardens! Thank you so much for reading!

**TempeAvril**: Muchas gracias! London Eye suena divertido!

**EslaeClarius**: Can you imagine Hermione shopping? Lol. Thanks for reading!

**Xvanniex**: Disneyworld sounds great! You're already giving me plans for a possible sequel, maybe? Hahaha. Thanks!

**Alekeneka**: Thank you! There's not enough Draco and Hermione interaction. I'd love to see them establish a canon friendship, but at least we've got fanfic to tide us over!

**ShadowAngel55**: Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!

**Slsilver**: Aww, yes, he is! I love Draco!

**Rephiamlove**: Thank you so much!

**Anna0728**: Thank you! I loved and hated that episode, too! It left me in tears.

**Flamegirl5500:** Thank you for reading!

**TwinsConspiracy**: Thank you so much for your awesome reviews! I love hearing your thoughts and your insight on how the characters are, too!

Here's the next chapter!

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><p>Hermione stared at her watch until it read 7:59. She didn't want to appear too eager and Apparate too earlier and she certainly did not want to be late. She had a good feeling about the day and was pretty excited at the prospect of spending it with Draco. It was the first time in a long time that she didn't want to think or worry about work or anything else on her mind.<p>

At that precise time, she closed her eyes and Apparated to Draco's flat.

"Draco?" she called into the silent flat. "Draco?" She slowly walked around the living room and into the kitchen. Everything looked untouched and it was quiet. "You better not still be sleeping!" she yelled.

"Relax! I'm not!" he called from down the hall. "You're a bit earlier than I expected."

"You said eight o'clock. It's eight!"

"What, no it's not!"

"It is!"

"No, it's not!"

"Yes, it is!" Hermione glanced down at her watch again, which read, 8:03. "And now it's 8:03!"

"And I suppose you're going to tell me how many seconds are left in the year next?"

"Shut up, Malfoy!" She looked at her watch again. "But now it's 8:04."

"Dammit, are you timing me?" Draco asked, running into the living room. He was wearing blue jeans and a green semi-fitted t-shirt with gray Adidas. He threw a gray hoodie over the couch. He looked at the clock on his wall. "8:00. You were early."

Hermione looked down at her watch. "8:05. You're late."

"I'm not late. You're early."

Hermione looked at her watch again. "No, you're—" Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "I forgot that I keep my watch five minutes advanced."

"Well, maybe you should remember next time!" Draco sounded irritated, but he laughed. "It's only five minutes."

"Five minutes can mean a lot, Draco. If we drove down those streets five minutes later or earlier, my parents may still be alive."

Draco looked at Hermione in concern. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a warm hug. "Hey, I'm sorry, okay?"

"It's nothing. I should be the one apologizing."

"You did nothing wrong."

"You're the one who did nothing wrong. And you were the one who was right."

Draco bit back a laugh. "It sucks being wrong, doesn't it?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and unwrapped herself from Draco's embrace. She swatted Draco's arm and picked up his hoodie, throwing it at him. "I'm hungry!"

Draco laughed. "And there's that excuse."

"Whatever, Mr. I-Can't-Form-Full-Sentences-When-I'm-Hungry."

"I can't. Seriously, ask anyone at the hospital."

Hermione smiled at him. "Are we going or what?"

"We're going. There's a bagel place down the street where we could pick some breakfast up."

"Great. I'm looking forward to it."

"You should be." Draco held the front door open for Hermione and the two of them headed out onto the streets of Muggle London.

"So, what are we doing today?" Hermione asked, happily taking a bite of her cinnamon raisin bagel.

"We're going to be Muggle tourists today," answered Draco. He carefully took a sip of his coffee. "See London as tourists do. I haven't even seen a lot of the things around here and I've lived here for almost ten years. Have you?"

Hermione shook her head. "Well, I went to a bunch of the museums and stuff when I was in primary school, but I've never done any touristy things here."

"Perfect. We'll live as the Muggles do today." Draco grinned at her and cupped her hand over the table. "You did say you wanted to steer clear of magical London, right?"

"Actually, what I said was that I wanted to stay in the Muggle world."

"And if I did that, then you would have to go along with whatever I say. So, what do you think about that?"

"What, touring Muggle London?"

Draco nodded excitedly.

"Oh, that's a great idea! I wish I came up with it."

"Feeling sucks, doesn't it? To know that I came up with this brilliant way to spend our day."

Hermione mock-pouted. "You still cheated. We said no plans."

"I wasn't aware it was a competition that I could cheat in."

"You know what I mean."

"You just said to stay in Muggle London. And we are."

"Okay. Are we going to get on those cheesy tourist buses?"

"If you want. I didn't plan that far in advance."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You could've at least planned that."

Draco threw her an irritated look. "Really? Do you just like to argue?"

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but quickly closed it and smiled sheepishly. "Sometimes. I suppose we'll be on our way, then?"

Draco grinned. He stuffed the rest of his bagel in his mouth and drained the last of his coffee. "Let's go," he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. He gathered their trash and tossed it in the bin. "Come on," he said, holding out a hand to Hermione.

"I must say, I'm curious to see how Draco Malfoy would be as a Muggle tour guide." Hermione grinned as she grasped Draco's hand tightly.

They walked down the street, side-by-side and hand-in-hand, exchanging pleasant conversation, and headed toward the nearest Underground station. Draco already owned an Oyster card, but purchased one for Hermione.

After a fairly short train ride, they exited off of the Tube and walked to the Tower of London. Draco thought it would appeal to Hermione's love of history, with a combination of magical and Muggle history alike. Hermione had already seen the Tower numerous times with her father, but appreciated seeing it again with Draco this time.

Early in the afternoon, Draco promised Hermione lunch on the banks alongside the River Thames. They walked down the river, looking at the people rowing and canoeing.

"Let's go there!" Draco said, pointing up to a large Ferris wheel. "The London Eye, come on! We have to go!" He grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her towards the iconic figure.

Hermione shook her head and pulled back, looking up at the Ferris wheel in fear. "No."

"Come on. London as tourists, right?"

"I'm afraid of heights."

Draco nearly laughed out loud. "What? Hermione Granger afraid of something?"

"Yes. And it's heights."

"Come on, I'll protect you."

Hermione gave him a wary glance.

"Come on, live a little." Draco grabbed her hand and firmly pulled her toward the London Eye. The entire time they were in line, Hermione kept looking up at the Ferris Wheel and spouted out random facts that she had read about the London Eye and Ferris Wheels in general. "Hermione, just stop," Draco said. "You're freaking people out."

Hermione looked around and saw that a lot of people were indeed throwing her dirty glances. She shrugged and inched closer to Draco. "I'm nervous."

"It's easier than riding a broom!" Draco whispered.

She gave him a look.

"Don't tell me you've never ridden a broom."

"Of course I have. I just didn't like it." She glanced up at the giant structure again. "Riding Buckbeak was scary enough. And that dragon!" she shuddered at the memory.

"Wait! What?"

Hermione looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Buckbeak? That hippogriff from third year? And a dragon? When in the hell did you ride a dragon?"

Hermione spent the rest of the time in line telling Draco in a whispered conversation about how they broke Buckbeak out in third year and how they broke the dragon out of Gringotts.

"You guys really did that?" Draco looked incredulous. "I thought it was all just rumors." He gestured up to the structure in front of them. "Then this should be a piece of cake for you."

They spent the rest of the day exploring what they could of the city of London and venturing into a number of museums and other touristy spots that kept them busy for the entire day.

Draco even treated Hermione out to a mini-shopping trip at Harrods even though she vehemently refused. She looked like she wasn't enjoying herself, but Draco made her try on clothes and shoes because he had heard that all women loved shopping. His mother and his aunt sure did.

Before long, they decided that they were quite hungry and agreed it was time for supper. The pair of them settled on a casual dining restaurant to eat at.

"Are you almost done?" Hermione asked, balling up her napkin and tossing it onto her plate.

"Almost," responded Draco, with a full mouth. He swallowed its contents and slurped the rest of his water through the straw. Hermione shot him a dirty and impatient look. "What's the rush?" he asked.

"I want to pick a place to go now," she said in an almost whining voice. "And we have to hurry before the sun goes down!"

"Relax, the sun won't go down until around 8:30 or 9 tonight." Draco checked his watch to make sure there were still an adequate number of daylight hours left in the day. "And it's only 6:15."

"I just don't want to miss it."

Draco looked at her for a long time. He saw a different look in her eyes. It wasn't that same passion that he had seen while she was hard at work. It wasn't that same curiosity that filled her eyes when she read. And it definitely wasn't that lifeless look in her eyes when she thought about her parents and the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

"Okay," he said, shoveling the rest of his meal into his mouth. He wiped his mouth and signaled for the check. After quickly paying it, he and Hermione walked out of the restaurant ten minutes later.

"You really didn't have to pay again, you know," Hermione said in a chastising voice. The two of them walked down the street, this time with Hermione guiding them.

"Next time, you plan the day and you can pay," Draco said, good-naturedly. His hand lingered over Hermione's, but he didn't take it into his own this time. "Besides, I have loads of money and I have no idea what to do with all of it."

"Old money," Hermione scoffed.

Draco laughed. "As opposed to your new money?"

Hermione smirked at him. "You know very well the Malfoy money has been passed down from generation to generation."

"You've been reading those pureblood laws too much lately."

"I have not." Hermione cheekily smiled at Draco. She felt her hand brush against Draco's and found herself hoping that he would take her hand into his own like he had done that morning.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere my parents always took me. It's my favorite place in the whole world."

"Hogwarts? Isn't that everyone's favorite place?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I suppose it's yours?"

"Mine is the hospital."

"It is now. What about growing up?"

"The Manor's library."

"No! I mean outside of your house. Didn't your parents take you anywhere that you absolutely loved?"

"Of course not. I was barely allowed outside of the Manor walls."

"Well, that's unfortunate."

"Tell me about it."

Hermione shot him a sad smile. "My parents were wonderful," she said wistfully.

"Tell me about your parents," Draco said slowly. He knew it was taking a lot out of Hermione to even think about her parents, let alone discuss them.

She smiled at him, but didn't say anything. She looked around. "It's a fair bit of a walk."

Draco leaned into Hermione and whispered to her. His breath tingled against her ear. "We could Apparate there, too, you know. We do have magic." He straightened up. "Or we could hop on the Tube again."

Hermione shook her head. "We could Apparate," she whispered back.

"You'd have to lead me."

"Okay."

Draco held out his hands and waited for to grasp them. After a few silent moments, she took his hands into hers. She looked around slyly, checking to see if anyone was watching them. When she was satisfied, Hermione closed her eyes and thought about the place she wanted to go. In a flash, they disappeared from the street and reappeared in a quiet, tranquil area. Hermione looked around to be sure she landed in the correct spot and when she believed they were, she tried to release her hands from Draco's grip. He held on tighter and looked deeply into her eyes. Hermione avoided looking at the intense gaze of Draco's eyes and settled for looking down at her hands.

"Tell me about your parents," he said, repeating his earlier statement.

Hermione looked around, still avoiding his gaze. "This is, uh, this is Kensington Gardens. My parents used to take me here all the time when I was a child."

At long last, Draco dropped his eyes from Hermione's face. He looked around, still holding onto Hermione's hands. "It's a beautiful place."

"We used to have picnics here and we'd come and watch the sunset." She pulled her hand from Draco's and pointed to a certain spot. "Right there," she said wistfully. "We used to sit at that bench all the time. The last time we did it, I was ten years old. It was before I went to Hogwarts."

Draco immediately led Hermione to the bench. They sat down and didn't say anything for a long time.

"I loved seeing all the landmarks from this spot. It's really quite beautiful when the sun sets. That's why I didn't want to miss it," Hermione said, breaking the silence.

Draco nodded. He put an arm around Hermione's shoulders and pulled her close. "Why was that the last time you and your parents came here?"

"After I started Hogwarts, my parents believed that I didn't care much for the Muggle things anymore. And I guess, in a way, they were right. I was so happy when I went to Hogwarts. Every time I came home, I would spend most of the holiday reading up on some more magic books. I guess I forgot about it. It also didn't help that I always spent the better part of my holidays with the Weasleys."

"So tell me about them," Draco said in a gentle voice. "Your dad, what was he like? Did he treat you like a princess? Did he treat you like a child? Did he ever beat you with a snake head?" he added as an afterthought in a lame attempt at a joke.

Hermione fell silent. "My dad was amazing," she said in a quiet voice. She proceeded to tell Draco everything she knew about her dad—the little quirks he had, the knowledge that he passed down to her, and the way he would make fun of her.

"And your mum?"

"My mum…she was my best friend." Hermione's eyes filled with tears and she dropped her face into Draco's shoulder, sobbing quietly.

Draco rubbed her back in a circular fashion, wondering if this was the first time Hermione truly cried over her parents. He remembered seeing her cry when they were at the hospital, but Hermione was still in shock at that moment. And while he saw her in moments of weakness in the time that they've grown close to one another, he never saw her truly cry over her parents.

Hermione pulled back from Draco, but didn't bother wiping her eyes or her nose. Draco conjured up a handkerchief and wiped her face for her.

"She—she…" Hermione had a hard time getting her initial words out, but once she started, she found it difficult to stop talking about her mother. She continued to tell Draco about her parents, until the sun finally set and until the park guards told them they had to leave.

Draco didn't say much when Hermione was speaking. But he listened to every word and remembered everything that she said. He let her speak and never interrupted, though he, too, shared some stories from his own childhood, highlighting the differences in how their parents raised them.

They headed out of the park in silence, but when they were away from prying eyes, Draco took Hermione by her arm and Disapparated the pair of them into Hermione's flat.

Hermione turned on the nearest light and gestured for Draco to sit down.

"No, that's all right," Draco replied. "I should be on my way home, anyway. I have work in the morning. And I'll be stuck at the hospital for the next couple of days."

"Oh," Hermione said in a strange voice. She turned away from Draco and avoided his eyes again. "Would—would it be all right, I mean, tomorrow, I'm off from work, so would it be all right if I came to the hospital and had lunch with you? It's the least I can pay you for today and for yesterday when you came to my work."

"I would love that," Draco said to Hermione's back. He took a step towards her, but thought better of it and stopped. "I…I suppose I'll head out now, then."

"Yeah, you do that," Hermione said. Her back was still to Draco. Tears came to her eyes, but she didn't know why.

"Okay, well, uh, well you have a good night, then, all right, Hermione? I'll see you tomorrow for lunch?"

"Yes, tomorrow."

Draco stood awkwardly behind Hermione, who didn't move. He raised an arm to tap her shoulder, so he could look into her eyes and give her a hug, but decided not to. "Good night," he said to her back before quickly Disapparating.

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><p>Thank you for reading! Please review if you have the chance!<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

Here's the next chapter! I really love the great reviews from you all!

**NazChick: **Thank you! It'll actually be a bit longer for the rest of the gang to find out. Hermione's still healing. :)

**clang1969: **Thank you for reading! I'd like to think that Draco doesn't lose that quick wit of his. It's one of the things that make him so lovable. And thank you so much for your suggestions! I've heard of Atonement, but I haven't heard of the other three. I'm looking forward to reading them!

**OffMyTea: **Thanks again! I appreciate you reading!

**ShadowAngel55: **Aww, thanks! Lol, it'll be a bit before they get more comfortable with one another.

**cascol3: **=D. Lol, it'll be something to look forward to when they finally get to that point.

**EslaeClarius: **Of course! If you have any other suggestions, let me know!

**Rephiamlove: **Lol, Draco is too much of a gentleman to take advantage. ;-D

**TempeAvril: **Muchas gracias!

Again, here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy!

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><p>It was not a good day.<p>

Draco had already been yelled at by four of his attendings, he clumsily stacked the charts on the nurse's desk, and three times, he's pressed the wrong button on the elevator. He found himself lucky that nothing happened to any of his patients while his mind was elsewhere.

There was only one reason why he couldn't seem to focus today: Hermione. He didn't like the way they had left things the night before. It was awkward and things between him and Hermione hadn't been awkward since she first came into the ER with her parents. He didn't like it. He liked to think that he and Hermione were becoming friends, but he didn't know what to make of the night before.

He had a fantastic time yesterday. He loved every second he had spent with Hermione, exploring Muggle London. He was glad that Hermione even spoke about her parents, knowing how hard it must've been for her.

But he just couldn't figure out what went wrong.

"Hey, Malfoy?"

"Hmm?" Draco didn't even look up from his notes when he heard one of the nurses call him.

"There is someone here to see you."

Draco looked up. The nurse was nodding him toward the waiting area. Draco nodded absentmindedly. "Thank you." He looked down and finished his notes before capping his pen and meticulously placing it in his pocket. Draco looked around the waiting area.

"Hermione?"

Hermione stood up from her seat and shyly smiled at him as she walked forward. "Hi," she said. She stood awkwardly in front of Draco.

"What are you doing here?"

"I thought we had lunch."

Draco nodded. "I wasn't sure if you'd come."

"Sorry about…about last night. I…I don't know—"

"You don't have to apologize."

"It's just…it's hard for me to talk about them. And—"

"You don't have to say anything else. It's okay. I understand."

I had a great time yesterday. I'm sorry to have ruined it."

"You didn't ruin anything." Draco ran his hand through his hair. "You want to grab lunch in the cafeteria?"

Hermione nodded. "I'd like that." She lightly grasped Draco's arm as they walked down the hall toward the cafeteria. "I really am sorry about—"

"How about we just forget about it, okay?" Draco flashed her a smile and gave her a hug around her shoulders. They quickly grabbed their food and paid for it before finding a secluded table in the corner of the cafeteria.

"I did have a nice time yesterday, Draco. Thank you," Hermione said, unwrapping her sandwich.

"I did, too."

"I didn't realize you knew so much about Muggle London."

"I don't." Draco chuckled. "I spent the night reading up on it."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, but laughed. "Well, thanks for the extra effort then."

"Who said it was for you? Maybe I was reading it for my own benefit." Draco winked at her. They fell back into an easy conversation and talked about the places they had visited the day before. Draco noticed a shadow behind Hermione's eyes and instantly knew that she was thinking about her parents again. He wanted to bring up what she had told him yesterday, but didn't know how to approach the subject.

"I've never noticed how gray your eyes are," she was saying, staring intently into his eyes.

Draco wished he could lose himself in her own brown eyes forever. "They are a bit unique," he said, staring back into hers.

"It's nice."

"Nice?" Draco bit back a laugh. "Thanks, I guess?"

Hermione laughed. "It was a compliment."

"That's why I said thanks."

"Whatever." Hermione smiled at him. Draco noticed the look in her eyes again and she seemed to be having an internal battle within her mind.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He reached over the table and brushed a few crumbs from her cheek.

Hermione slowly nodded. "I think so. I…I never realized how—how broken I am. Yesterday was the first time I've spoken about them since—since it happened. Since they died."

"Your parents sound like they were wonderful people."

"Oh, they were. Very much so. I wish you've been able to meet them."

Draco smiled. "Did you tell them much about—about our school and its world?"

"I told them everything. In fact, I really wish my mum were alive to meet you. The last thing she knew of you was that you were a right old git at school."

Draco laughed. "Well, I suppose there is some semblance of truth there."

"Of course there is. You were a right old git at school." Hermione smiled at him across the table. "But not anymore. I like this person you've become."

"I'm glad I could please somebody."

"Draco, what—what did your parents say? When you left—when you left the whole—all of it? When you went to university and became a—a doctor, surgeon, even! I would imagine that they—I never would have thought that you—"

Draco smirked. "It's a lot harder talking about our world out here, isn't it?" Hermione nodded. "Well, my parents weren't pleased," Draco answered. "Actually, I don't think my mother gave a damn either way, but my father definitely wasn't pleased."

"Why didn't your mother care?"

"Oh, she cared. She just didn't—doesn't give a damn what I do as long as I'm happy. The war really changed her. Changed her views and all."

"And your father?"

"Like I said, he wasn't pleased. He wanted me to at least become a Healer in our world."

"Did he change? After the war? You and your mother did."

"Yes," Draco said thoughtfully. "Not to the extent that my mother and I did, but he changed. He saw what the world would be like if his—his leader won and he realized that no matter what he thought, who he despised and hated, whose blood ran purer than others, he would be no more than a mere pawn in his leader's plan. And I think that's what hit him harder than anything else. And you, of course."

"Me? What did I have to do with anything?"

"He admired you." Hermione looked aghast, but Draco continued to speak. "Oh, I don't think he would have ever admitted anything out loud. And I don't think he even believed it himself, but he did. When my…when Bellatrix, um, tortured you at the Manor, my father admired your…spunk, he called it."

"He actually said that he admired me?"

"No, of course not. But he did say that you had spunk a few years before he passed."

"He really said that?"

"Yes. It was odd. It was around the time of an anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts—I don't remember which one, though. But he said it." Draco smiled at her and squeezed her shoulder. "I think he would have approved of our friendship now."

"Why did you always try to get his approval when we were kids? If you didn't, we could've been real friends back then, too."

"He was my father, Hermione. Of course I wanted his approval. Didn't you want yours?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right."

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head. She was about to say something when a tray dropped onto their table. Hermione looked up at the new arrival, a pretty doctor with dark, straight hair, standing next to them. She didn't make a move to sit down at their table.

"Going to introduce me to your girlfriend, Malfoy?" she asked, smirking.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Go away, Lopez."

"That's not very nice." She stuck a hand out to Hermione. "I'm Amanda Lopez, one of Malfoy's fellow residents here. It's nice to see someone from his personal life around. I didn't realize that he ever made it out of the hospital."

"You could go now," Draco said, rolling his eyes.

Amanda smiled at Hermione. "Your boyfriend could be a right foul git sometimes, you know?"

Hermione grinned at Draco and didn't bother to correct Amanda. "I know. He's always been that way."

Amanda nudged Draco's shoulder with her elbow. "So, I could leave a spot next to you for—what's your name?" she asked. "I didn't realize I didn't ask for it."

"I'm Hermione Granger." Hermione held out her hand and smiled at Amanda. "It's nice to meet you."

"Oh no, it's absolutely wonderful to meet you! Like I said, I didn't know that Draco even makes it out of the hospital. He's always here. I didn't even think that he had a social life."

"Hey—go away, Lopez."

"I'm on my way, I just wanted to finalize your RSVP. Shall I add another place setting next to yours?" Amanda looked at Hermione and explained. "I'm getting married next week."

"Oh, congratulations!"

"Thank you. You're invited to come as well, with Malfoy, if he'd ever respond to the invitation."

"I told you—I'm not going, Lopez. If all the doctors are out and about at yours and Anderson's wedding, then who's going to be here, watching all our patients?"

"The interns and the other residents. It's not like we've invited the whole hospital, Malfoy! You should feel honored to be invited. I don't like everyone here."

"You don't like me."

"Yes, that's true but you and I, we've gone through our entire careers here together. You're like—you're sort of like a brother to me."

Draco sighed. He glanced at Hermione and raised an eyebrow. "Well, fine then."

Amanda squealed. "Perfect. You too, Hermione?" She quickly looked at Hermione. "I assume you'll be coming along as his date?"

"Um…" Hermione didn't know what to say.

"Yes," Draco answered. "Can you go away now? We were in the middle of a private conversation."

"Fine, I could take a hint." Amanda picked up her tray and grinned at Hermione. "It was wonderful to meet you, Hermione. I hope I'll see you sometime soon."

Hermione nodded. "It was great meeting you, too! Congratulations again!" Amanda smiled and nodded to her as she walked off. "So…"

"You don't have to come with me to the wedding if you don't want to," Draco said, quickly. "I just said that so she'd go away. Lopez is nice enough, but she is annoying."

"No, I think that'll be great. I mean, I'd really love to go with you."

"Are you sure? I mean, wedding and all. I know you and Weasley were supposed to tie the knot, weren't you?"

Hermione's smile froze. "Yes, we were. Good thing I didn't, though."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Draco looked genuinely curious.

"I…I suppose I didn't love him anymore."

"What happened between the two of you?" He knew he was being a bit forward, asking Hermione all these questions, but it's been burning in his mind. Everyone, along with he, thought that everything was going great between Hermione and Weasley. Or as he had known them before, Granger and Weasley, Saint Potter's two best friends.

Hermione fell silent. She was deep in thought and didn't say anything for a long time. Draco wondered if she had slipped into her depressed trance again.

"I think I was with him because it was comfortable," she finally said in a quiet voice. She looked down and picked at her food. "I loved him, still do, in fact, but I think it changed. When we were at school, I was completely infatuated with him. I don't want to say that it wasn't real, because it was. But we grew up. I was in love with the Ronald Weasley who I went to school with. Not with the man that he turned out to be."

"But isn't he still the same?" Draco asked.

"Are you still the same?" she pointedly replied.

"All right," he conceded. "Point taken. Continue."

"In many ways, he's still the same. Sometimes I would get a snippet of it. But then I would just get annoyed. Love is supposed to be about overcoming all of those irritating quirks that everyone has. And it just annoyed me even more. So much that I would get irritated when I would see his face or hear his voice. But I didn't say anything, of course not. That would've been improper for me."

"Why did you accept his proposal then?"

"Draco, who would ask me to marry them? Who would pluck up the courage to even get close to me? After the war, Ron got everything he wanted—people finally saw him as him, Ron Weasley, not as Harry Potter's best friend and the youngest Weasley boy. And naturally, he and I were supposedly destined to be together as Harry and Ginny are. But we're not. And since I've been with him all of my adult life, nobody would dare go against Ron Weasley."

"I would." Draco smirked at her. "I never particularly cared for Weasley or Potter. Especially Weasley."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "You know, even though you've changed, you're still an insufferable git, you know that?"

"Oh, I'm not an insufferable git, Hermione. Or else you wouldn't be sitting here."

"Fine, then you're a sufferable git."

Draco chuckled. "That doesn't even make sense."

"I don't care. It makes sense to me." It took all of Hermione's willpower to not stick her tongue out at Draco, no matter how childish and immature it was. She shook her head at him before continuing. "I don't even know why I bother with you sometimes."

"Because I'm fun to be around." Draco took a bite of his sandwich. "Now continue. So you accepted his proposal to marry him because it was…the right thing to do?"

"It was the natural thing to do. It was the thing that made the most sense. He and I bickered and argued all through Hogwarts, yet we each harbored a secret love for one another. When we finally got together, it wasn't as I had imagined, but I never had the gall to break up with him because he was the only guy that I've ever felt like that for and I didn't know what to do. I would never find another person that could love me or I love him. Especially in the way that my parents did."

Draco furrowed his brow. "Not everything has to make sense, Hermione."

"I agree. Which is why you're a sufferable git."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I'm not even responding to that. But weren't you and Krum something in fourth year?"

"You remember that?" Hermione asked, incredulously. "We weren't anything. It was a meaningless crush."

"Of course I remember that. It was the first time you looked like an actual human being, at the Yule Ball." Draco grinned at her to show that he was joking.

"Oh, shut up, Malfoy."

Draco laughed. "You do realize that you call me Malfoy every time I piss you off?"

"Yes, I do that on purpose."

Draco laughed again. "Okay, just making sure you knew. Are you going to continue or was that the end? You never had the gall to break up with Weasley because nobody else would date you?" Draco gave her a strange smile and raised an eyebrow. "Sometimes you are a bit daft, you know."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," he said quickly. "What were you saying about your parents? How was their relationship different than yours and Weasley's?"

"My parents absolutely adored each other. They really loved each other and you could see it." A sad look crossed Hermione's face and that lifeless look flickered in her eyes. "I didn't feel that way about Ron. My mum was actually the one who voiced her concerns about us. After I told her that he proposed to me and I accepted." Hermione looked back at her food, not hungry anymore. Tears filled her eyes. "I'm a big disappointment to my parents," she said sadly.

"Of course you're not," Draco reassured.

Hermione shook her head, wiping tears from her eyes. "If you only knew…"

"If I only knew what?"

"If you only knew what I did..." Hermione shook her head again. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."

Draco stared at her for a long time. "Okay," he said, deciding to not push it. He picked up his sandwich to take another bite of it. "So what happened between you and Krum?"

"Nothing happened between me and Krum. It was just…a little crush, nothing more."

Draco laughed. "Who would've guessed. Granger getting the eye of the Quidditch star." He reached over the table and put his hand on her cheek. "And you think nobody would date you."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "That was in fourth year. It was a long time ago."

"Yes, it was." Draco flashed her a grin and helped himself to her chips. "Thanks for lunch, by the way."

"Why are you so easy to talk to?" Hermione asked suddenly.

Draco shrugged. "Because I'm an amazing person?"

"And yet, you don't have that thing called…what is it? Ah yes, humility."

Draco laughed. "Would I be a Malfoy with it?" He smiled at her before asking his next question. "What happened last night? Why—why did…what…did I do something?"

A pink tint appeared on Hermione's cheeks. She looked away quickly. "I—I don't want to say."

"Why not? Just spit it out, Granger."

Hermione twisted her hands together. "I didn't want you to leave. I didn't want you to go back to work."

Draco silently stared at Hermione. "I didn't want to leave, either. I just, I thought I was doing the responsible thing."

"You were."

"I didn't want to come back to work, either. And I don't think I've ever said that before. I love working here and I live for the days when I'm constantly here, but last night was the first time I was disappointed that I had to come back."

"Why?"

"Because I—" Draco stopped himself and thought carefully about his next statement. "I…I had a great time yesterday."

"Oh. Me too."

"Do you want to meet for lunch this week? We have to go somewhere in Muggle London since I'll be here for most of the week and my pager won't work at the Ministry, so—"

"I'd love to."

"Good." Draco smiled widely at Hermione. He really did love spending time with her.

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><p>Draco and Hermione get even closer and even reveal a few things to one another! =D What do you guys think Hermione was about to say to Draco?<p>

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! I love reading them and hearing your thoughts on the story! Where would you like to see the story go? Any other HP characters you'd like to see? And one question for you all: do you want to see Ron in a "villain-type" role or not? I haven't finished writing and I'm at a crossroads with which direction I want Ron to go. So I thought I'd ask you wonderful people! Thanks! =D

Please review and let me know your thoughts!


	10. Chapter 10

Again, thank you all for your wonderful reviews and all of the alerts/favorites! I really appreciate it!

I think the general consensus is to not make Ron a villain, which is my original plan for him. Thank you all for your input and suggestions! And I love hearing all of your thoughts on the story, so keep it coming!

Here's a long chapter for you all and a return of some old faces.

* * *

><p>Draco and Hermione spent every free moment of the next two weeks with one another. They had fallen into a sort of routine with one another. The only time they weren't together was when they were asleep for the night or when they were at work.<p>

They met for breakfast in the mornings, lunch in the afternoons, and often spent supper eating out, but Draco had taken to cooking dinner for the pair of them when he was not working.

Hermione accompanied Draco to Amanda Lopez's wedding and she and Amanda began a friendship after a few mishaps on the day of the wedding. Hermione, being the clever person she was, managed to save Amanda's day by secretly using her wand to fix the accidental tears in Amanda's wedding dress and the discoloration of one of the bridesmaid's shoes due to a wine spill. She was even the one who dropped Amanda and her new husband, Dr. Eric Anderson, off at the airport for their four-day honeymoon to Greece since all of Amanda and Eric's friends are all doctors, preoccupied with the extra work at the hospital that they were left with in Amanda and Eric's absence.

When they were together, Draco had taken to simply watching Hermione. He always paid close attention to her after seeing her again, but now he watched her more closely. He couldn't deny a growing attraction to her, but he felt like she would never feel the same about him, no matter how close they became. He saw himself as a good friend in Hermione's eyes and nothing more. Not to mention the fact that he would never dare to admit his growing feelings for her.

As he carefully watched her, Draco noticed that Hermione was healing. Slowly, very slowly, but she was getting there. He did notice that she still continued to slip into moments of lifelessness and a depression and he knew that she was thinking of her parents. He longed to help her accept their deaths so she could finally be at peace with it and herself. He recognized a lot of what he went through in her, but was always careful in how he approached it to her.

Since they spent so much time together, Draco unintentionally ignored his other Wizarding friends. He still hung out with his Muggle friends from the hospital from time to time and Hermione joined them whenever they would go out for drinks or bowling. Hermione already distanced herself from Potter and Weasley and the rest of their group of friends. Draco could see the concern on Potter's face every time he visited Hermione at work, but Potter never said a word to him nor to Hermione. Only once, when he merely reminded Draco of Ginny's baby shower and his wish to have Hermione join them.

But one day, nearly a week after Amanda's wedding, Blaise Zabini strolled into the hospital waiting room. He mentioned to the nurse that he was waiting for Draco Malfoy whenever Draco was free and unknowingly sat down next to Hermione in the waiting area. Nearly an hour passed when Draco finally emerged from behind the double doors, looking exhausted and paler than normal.

Blaise saw the blonde, nearly white, hair and stood immediately. "Draco," he called. A look of confusion and surprise crossed over Draco's face.

"Blaise? What are you doing here?" Draco took a step toward him and gave him a manly hug.

"You've been avoiding me, Draco, so I had to venture out and seek you myself."

Draco grinned at him and looked down at the seat next to Blaise. Hermione was engrossed in her book and didn't budge nor hear the interaction between Draco and Blaise right before her. He reached down and took the book from her.

"Hey!" she cried out, reaching up for the book.

"I just got out of surgery and I'm starving, Hermione," Draco said. He saved her place and closed the book. "You remember Blaise Zabini, Hermione? And you remember Hermione Granger, Blaise?" He gestured to the dark-skinned man standing next to him, who nodded at her.

Hermione nodded slowly. "Nice to see you, Zabini," she said in a shy voice.

"Likewise, Granger."

Hermione glanced at Draco accusingly. "I didn't realize you already had plans today."

"Well, I did. Not with him, though." He looked at Blaise. "Would you like to join me and Hermione for lunch?" Draco checked his watch. "A late lunch." He helped Hermione stand up since she didn't move from the chair. "If that's all right with you, Hermione."

"That's fine," she said, standing up and stretching her legs.

"And you, Blaise?"

"Quite all right. I apologize for dropping in unannounced."

"All right, then," Draco said, trying to cover up the growing tension between the three of them. He quickly led them to the cafeteria and sat down at the same secluded table that he and Hermione had been sitting at for the past two weeks. "What's been going on, Blaise? How is everything? Pansy?"

"Everything is fine, Draco. Pansy is doing well. Wondering when you'll follow our shoes and settle down."

"Oh, yeah right." Draco grimaced at Blaise. "It's been a long time since we've last seen each other."

"Indeed it has," Blaise replied. He nodded to Hermione, who sat on Draco's left, while Blaise was across from the two of them. "It's been an even longer time since I've seen you, Granger. Which is odd since we both work at the Ministry."

"Well, you Unspeakables rarely venture out of the Department of Mysteries."

Blaise smiled at her. "What can I say? I've always liked the dungeons."

The two of them continued to small talk about their work at the Ministry and the people that they work with. Draco smiled listening to them speak to one another. Two of the people he cared most about seemed to be getting on with one another.

"So, Draco, I wasn't aware that you and Granger had become such a hot commodity."

"What?" Draco glanced at Hermione, turning pink in his cheeks. "Hermione and I aren't dating. We're just friends."

Blaise noticed a fleetingly sad look in Hermione's eyes when Draco said the word, 'friends.' He raised an eyebrow at them. "Oh, my mistake. Well, the pair of you must come over some time for supper with me and Pansy." He chuckled at Hermione's disgusted expression. "I know you and my wife have had your differences in the past, but if you could befriend this idiot, then surely you could overlook Pansy's past indiscretions." He smiled at Hermione. "She's changed since the war, too. Still feels terrible about trying to give up Potter when he showed up in the Great Hall that one time."

Hermione nodded and looked at Draco. "Sure, if it's all right with you."

Draco nodded. "Of course."

Blaise stood up. "I must go. I just wanted to see you and catch up with you, Draco." He and Draco grasped hands and Blaise leaned down to kiss Hermione's cheek. "I'll see you around, Granger."

"Yeah," she replied. "It was nice seeing you."

"You, too." Blaise winked at her and waved as he headed out of the cafeteria. Hermione turned to Draco as soon as Blaise disappeared from their line of sight. "Your friend's charming."

Draco glowered at her. "Thank goodness he's married now. Or else I wouldn't have let you within five feet of him."

"You wouldn't have let me within five feet of him? And what on earth gives you the right to do that? Besides, I'm a Mudblood, remember. None of you Slytherins would've even thought to come after me."

"Oh, come on, that was a long time ago. And Blaise is different now, too. He never really—well, I mean, obviously, he was for the Dark Lord back then and all, especially since he was in Slytherin, but Blaise has always been a bit more…open-minded about a lot of things as opposed to everyone else in Slytherin. And he used to chase anybody in a skirt. Quite frankly, I'm surprised Pansy's the one who calmed him down. I thought for sure it was going to be Daphne Greengrass or somebody else. Imagine if it was Millicent Bulstrode."

Draco shuddered and Hermione laughed. "Do you talk to them often?" she asked. "Your old Slytherin friends? What about Goyle?"

Draco shook his head. "No. Really, when I left the Wizarding World, I only stayed in contact with my mother, Blaise, and Astoria. And through my mother, Aunt 'Dromeda and Teddy. And Pansy, through Blaise. Other than that, everybody was completely cut off."

"Do you wish to get back in touch with them?"

Draco shrugged. "Not particularly. I'm happy with my life and I'm sure they are with theirs, so why shake things up?"

Hermione smiled. "You shook things up in my life."

"No, I didn't." Draco furrowed his brow. "That was…an unfortunate circumstance that brought us back in each other's lives."

"Well, you're helping me piece it back together."

Draco grinned at her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He stroked her cheek with his finger and wanted to say more. He opened his mouth to speak, intending to tell Hermione that he found her beautiful in every way. But they were interrupted by his pager going off. Draco looked at it in frustration. "I have to go," he said apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I understand." Hermione smiled at him and gathered up the trash. "I'll take care of this, you go take care of your patient. You said you get off at 10:30 tonight?"

Draco nodded, standing up. He sipped the last bits of his soda. "Yeah."

"Do you want me to rent a movie? I'll meet you at your place."

"Sounds like a plan." He gave her another kiss on the cheek and patted her head. "Gives me something to look forward to." His pager went off again. "I really have to go now. Sorry!"

Draco ran to his patient's room and found him surrounded by nurses and coding on the bed. "What happened?" he asked, running to his patient's bedside. A nurse filled him in and Draco quickly worked on the patient. After a few moments, the patient was stabilized. Draco pushed the hair out of his eyes and proceeded out to the nurse's desk to fill out the chart.

"Have I told you that I like her, Malfoy?"

Draco groaned loudly and looked up. Amanda was sitting behind the desk with her hands behind her head and her feet resting on the table. She looked like she was in the midst of looking up things on the computer. "Go back to your research, Lopez."

"It's Lopez-Anderson, now."

"That's way too long to say. I think I'm just gonna settle for calling you LA."

"LA?"

"Lopez-Anderson. Now, don't make me say it again."

"Say what?"

"Shut up."

Amanda flashed a grin at him. "I like her. Don't scare Hermione away with your 'I-don't-care-about-the-world attitude."

"Hermione knows me better than you ever will, so I think I'm okay."

"Ah yes, but Hermione and I are becoming friends, so you better get used to my presence."

"Oh joy."

Amanda laughed. "I do love how she's given you a life outside this hospital, though. Makes the race for chief resident better for me." She leaned in and lowered her voice. "No offense, but before she came along, I really thought you didn't have a life outside this hospital. I thought you were a bit of a loser, in fact. But, she's made you more bearable to be around. You better scoop her up and ask her to officially begin dating you before somebody else does."

Draco looked at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on. Like I don't get it. I know you like her and she likes you, so why not?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Are we in grade school? Really? We are not having this conversation." He recapped his pen and roughly tossed the chart onto the desk and walked away.

He finished the rest of the day in a daze and hurried home to meet up with Hermione. He was already a few hours later than what he told Hermione since one of his patients needed emergency surgery.

When he finally arrived at his flat, he found Hermione passed out on his couch with one of the many books that she borrowed lying on her chest. Draco smiled at the sight. Her hair was in a wild, tangled mess around her head and she had a trace of a smile on her mouth. Her face was so peaceful and Draco wished that he had seen her more at peace when she was conscious. He immediately knelt down and easily lifted her from the couch and carefully placed her in his bed. He wrapped the covers snug around her and left his room before she could wake up.

* * *

><p>During his next round of days off, Draco and Hermione went to Blaise and Pansy's house for supper, at Blaise's request. Hermione was understandably very nervous, especially at seeing Pansy again, since it was the first time she'd actually talk to her. Like Blaise and Hermione, Pansy also worked at the Ministry, in the Department of International Magical Cooperation, and while they had seen each other around the Ministry, they've never spoken.<p>

Draco rubbed Hermione's shoulders as she sat on Draco's couch, waiting for him to get ready. She was trying to read _Looking For Alaska_ by John Green, even though she hadn't finished _Dune _yet, but her eyes read the same line over and over again.

"Are you all right? Pansy won't bite," Draco said, sitting down next to her to tie his shoes.

"I'm just nervous, I guess."

"You were fine with Blaise, though."

"But Blaise never made fun of me at Hogwarts."

"Well…he did. Sometimes." Draco smiled at her and shook her shoulder. "And I did…unless you don't remember that, which is just fine with me. But she's different. She really is."

"Okay…" Hermione sighed and put down book after saving her place. "How are we getting there?"

Draco gestured to the fireplace. "Floo."

"All right," she replied. They stood up and Draco gave her the address to Blaise and Pansy's house. She went through the fireplace and Draco quickly followed.

"Nice to see you, Draco," Blaise said, quickly giving him a hug. He gestured to his right. "Hermione made it through all right." She gave him a small smile.

Draco winked and smiled at Hermione before turning his attention to Pansy, who'd just entered the living room.

"Draco!" Pansy cried out, hurrying forward to give her friend a hug. "It's wonderful to see you!"

"Hi Pansy!" Draco exclaimed, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well, Draco." She turned her attention to Hermione. "Hello…Hermione…" The name sounded odd coming from Pansy's lips. She stiffly gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek and smiled at her.

"Hi Pansy," Hermione replied. "Thank you for inviting me to your home." She smiled at her. Draco squeezed her arm in thanks. He grinned at her.

"Well…from what Blaise said, you and Draco have become good friends, so maybe we should bury the past and try to be friends as well. After all, we do both work at the Ministry."

Hermione nodded. "That would be nice." She smiled in return.

Blaise raised an eyebrow. "Shall we head into the kitchen to eat? I'm getting hungry just standing around." He led the others into kitchen where he and Pansy served the food. Hermione looked around in interest.

Draco leaned over to her and whispered, "House-elves scare Pansy. She would never have one in her home."

Hermione nodded in response. As a pureblooded wizard and witch, Hermione had been wondering why Blaise and Pansy didn't have a house-elf to serve the food or welcome them into the home. She tasted everything and complimented Pansy on her cooking. The dinner conversation took on a life of its own and soon, Hermione found herself laughing at Blaise's remarks and agreeing with some of Pansy's. As she had earlier found it easy to talk to Blaise, she also found it easy to talk to Pansy.

Later on in the night, after their plates had been cleared away and dessert had been served, the four of them settled into the living area, with Blaise and Pansy sitting on one couch and Draco and Hermione on the other. Again, they settled into an easy conversation and Draco was telling Blaise and Pansy about his latest case, with Hermione interrupting him every so often. She soon excused herself to the bathroom, leaving Draco with Pansy and Blaise.

Pansy stared after Hermione as she walked down the hall. "Such a shame I didn't like her at Hogwarts, Hermione's actually quite fun to talk to."

"Yeah," agreed Blaise. "Too bad your girl didn't end up in Slytherin, Draco," he teased.

Draco rolled his eyes. "She's not my girl. We're just friends."

Pansy snorted. "Right. Not yet, anyway. It's written all over your face, Draco. You're falling for her, aren't you?" She nudged Blaise. "It's just like fourth year all over again.

Draco shook his head. "We're just friends," he repeated. "I don't have feelings for Hermione like that. And she doesn't have them for me. Besides, nothing ever happened in fourth year."

Blaise smirked. "Yeah, and you going on and on about her in that dress." He nudged Pansy. "What color was it again? Red?"

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Blue."

Blaise and Pansy laughed. "If only Potter had actually killed the Dark Lord when he was a baby. Maybe we wouldn't have grown up with that stigma on Muggle-borns. Then Draco and Hermione probably would've ended up in Slytherin—"

"Ravenclaw, she's still too smart for her own good."

"Slytherin," Blaise continued, "and they probably would be married by now with a bunch of little babies who are getting ready to go to Hogwarts, too."

"Please," Draco said. "Even if it that were true, Hermione would never have settled down after school to have babies."

"Ah, so do you do wish it were true!" Blaise laughed gleefully.

"What? No! I didn't say that!"

"Didn't say what?" Hermione innocently asked, walking into the living room. Pansy and Blaise gave her knowing looks that made her feel a tad uncomfortable.

"Nothing, nothing," answered Draco. "Blaise and Pansy just think they're being funny."

"That's because we are funny!" they said at the same time. They looked at each other with a grin and slapped hands.

Hermione laughed. "Hogwarts would've been so different if we had all gotten along back then."

"See!" Pansy nearly screeched. "Hermione agrees with me!"

"About what?"

"Never mind…"

Hermione gave her a strange look. "Well, all right then."

"It's getting pretty late, Blaise," Draco said, standing up. "We should be going."

"Thank you for supper, Pansy," Hermione said, standing up and giving her a hug. "I had a really great time tonight."

"Me too," Pansy replied, sincerely. "I hope we can meet sometime for lunch."

"You'll have to book it in advance, Pans," Blaise cheekily replied. "Hermione's lunches are usually already taken by Draco."

Pansy smirked. "Oh, well, I, of course, don't want to interrupt you guys."

"Oh no, you can join us, Pansy! Draco doesn't mind, do you, Draco?"

Draco was already in the midst of shaking his head when Hermione asked him.

"See, he doesn't mind."

Blaise raised an eyebrow. "Already answering for you, mate?" he mouthed. He smirked and gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you around, Hermione."

"Yeah, if you come out of the dungeons once in a while."

"I'll make my way up. As long as there are no Aurors around." He and Hermione laughed.

"Come on, Hermione," Draco said, nudging her towards the fireplace. He gave Pansy a kiss and an angry look. "Leave it!" he hissed.

Pansy shook her head and waved to them as they disappeared through the fireplace.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Draco woke up on his couch and smelled freshly brewed coffee. He and Hermione Flooed back from Blaise and Pansy's to Draco's apartment and they decided to watch a movie. Hermione had fallen asleep during the movie and Draco carried her to his bed, spending the night in the living room. He stretched his arms and his legs and threw the blanket from him. "Hermione? Did you really make coffee?" he asked, standing up.<p>

Hermione laughed from her seat at the dining table. "Yeah, right. I bought some." She gestured to the food spread out in front of her and nodded over to the empty take-out cartons. "I got breakfast for us."

"I see." Draco staggered over and began drinking his coffee. "I'm so glad I'm off today."

"I'm glad you're off, too. You've been working awfully hard lately. And long hours."

Draco nodded. "What do you think of Pansy?"

"She is different," Hermione said. "Not at all what I would've expected."

"Yeah. She's a lot easier to stand now that she and Blaise are married. She was so annoying back at Hogwarts."

"Weren't you two together at one point?"

Draco shrugged. "It didn't mean anything and we both know that. We both knew it back then, too." He smiled at her. "I'm sure she hopes you two can be friends."

"I hope so, too."

"You know, after the war, the Slytherin house just felt completely decimated. Especially for us older ones, who've grown up thinking one way. It was really hard to know what reality was after. That's probably why a lot of us drifted apart. Blaise and Pansy didn't even talk to one another again until a few years ago, at some Ministry party, ball or something."

"Oh, the Ministry Ball? I would've guessed that the Slytherins all stayed in touch."

Draco shook his head. "No, not really. We always knew what the others were doing, but we never kept up with one another. Except for me and Blaise. Well, Blaise to me, actually."

"He seems like a really good friend."

"He is. Like a brother." Draco took a bite of his eggs and savored the taste. "What are you doing today?" he asked with a full mouth. He swallowed loudly and drank his coffee again. He winced, feeling a burning sensation on his tongue. "Do you have plans?"

"No. Do you?"

Draco nodded. "Would you accompany me somewhere?"

"Where?'

"It's a surprise," Draco said mysteriously. He continued to eat his food as Hermione badgered him with questions. "Seriously, Hermione, I'm not telling you, so you might as well stop." He glanced at the clock. "When you're done eating, are you going to Apparate home and get ready? Do you want to meet back here in about an hour? We have to be there by 1:00."

"Where are we going?" she continued to ask.

"If you keep asking me, I won't even bother going anymore."

Hermione eyed him suspiciously. She finished the rest of her eggs and stood. "I'll see you in an hour." In a crack, she Disapparated from Draco's flat and reappeared fifty-five minutes later. "Draco!" she called. "You're late!" she yelled, teasing him.

"You're early!" he yelled from the bedroom. "Fix your damn watch!"

Hermione chuckled and pulled out a book. She sat on Draco's couch and barely made it past the first two paragraphs before he came out of his bedroom, wearing jeans and a long-sleeved, button-down shirt and holding a large pastel blue bag.

"What's in the bag?"

"Nothing," Draco said, dropping it at his side. He produced a blindfold from his pocket and held it up to her. "Do you trust me, Hermione?"

"Um…not with that blindfold."

"Oh, come on, it'll be fun."

Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Not like that. It's just…it's a surprise."

"All right," she said warily. "I'm not sure about this." She reluctantly stood in front of Draco with her back toward him.

"Of course you're not." Draco leaned forward and unintentionally inhaled her floral-smelling perfume. It smelled divine. He carefully wrapped the blindfold around Hermione's eyes and waved his hand a few times around to make sure she couldn't see. "Are you ready?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really, but if you don't want to go, then we don't have to."

"Well, now we have to go since you've made it this big production."

Draco chuckled. "Okay, then." He moved to stand directly in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders. "But there are a few things, though."

"What's that?"

"When I take off the blindfold and you really don't want to be there, then tell me and we could leave right away. But give me at least ten minutes there. Also, I'm doing this for you. Just remember that. And…if…if you don't want me there, let me know, too. And I could disappear."

"Why would I want you to disappear?"

"Just follow those things, okay?"

"Okay," Hermione said in an unsure voice. She held out her hands and waved them around, looking for Draco.

"Right here," he said, taking her hand into his. He squeezed it tightly. "Are you ready?"

Hermione nodded. "I guess I have to be."

Draco chuckled. "And there's that Gryffindor courage, right?" He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek before Disapparating with a crack.

A few seconds later, they reappeared on a hill. Draco took Hermione's hand and quickly led her down the hill and toward an oddly-shaped house. He kept a running commentary on what was around them, helping her maneuver around the things she couldn't see.

They finally reached a gate where Draco was met by a familiar man. Draco nodded to Harry Potter as Harry quietly opened the gate and allowed them in.

"Are we there yet, Draco?" Hermione asked in an impatient voice.

"Yes."

"Well, can I take this damn thing off?"

Draco was silent for a couple of seconds. He wasn't sure if he really wanted her to take it off. "Yes," he said in a softer voice.

Hermione pulled off the blindfold and initially stared triumphantly into Draco's eyes. She looked around at her surroundings and saw the familiar yard outside of the Burrow. She saw Harry standing near them with an unsure expression on his face. Hermione turned to Draco and jabbed a finger in his chest. "You tricked me!" she accused him.

"I had to!" Draco protested. "It was the only way you would've came!"

"I want to leave."

"No. Stay."

"I want to leave now."

"No." Draco's voice grew more firm. He glanced at Harry.

"Please, Hermione," Harry pleaded. "It's Ginny's baby shower and she wants you here, I'm sure of it."

"Funny, last time I saw her, she didn't seem to want to have anything to do with me."

"But I do. This baby is mine, too, and I want my son to know his Aunt Hermione."

Hermione crossed her arms and glared at Draco. "You tricked me," she accused again.

Draco shrugged. "I'm not sorry about it."

"I want to leave."

"At least eat something first."

"No."

"Thirty minutes."

"No."

"Fifteen."

"No."

"Ten."

"No."

"Five."

"Why are you even here, making me go? You hate them."

"But you don't."

Harry watched their interaction with great interest. He desperately wanted Hermione to go inside and he didn't particularly care for Draco, but he seemed to be the way to Hermione right about now. After what seemed like a long time, Hermione reluctantly relented.

"Fine," she hissed. "Five minutes."

"Ten," Draco hissed back.

"Eight."

"Deal."

Harry smiled, but knew it looked forced. He didn't like how Draco was closer to Hermione than he was. He wrapped Hermione in his arms and felt her freeze. "Let's go inside," he said abruptly dropping his arms. He led the way to the house, with Hermione dragging her feet behind him and Draco walking even slower after her. Harry opened the door and stepped aside to let them through. "Everyone, look who's here."

Hermione stepped through the door right when a sea of red hair pushed their way into the kitchen. The entire Weasley family, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood all stared at her, speechless.

* * *

><p>Yes, it's the day of the baby shower and Draco tricked Hermione into going! And what do you think of this friendship between BlaisePansy with Hermione?

Please let me know what you think and leave a review if you have a chance! Thanks for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

Thank you all for your reviews! I really, really love hearing your thoughts about the story, so keep it coming!

I was trying to post this earlier, but did anybody else have trouble logging in? Well, no worries, cuz here's the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

><p>"Hermione!" Neville Longbottom said happily, quickly moving forward to wrap his arms around her. "It's been so long! How are you?"<p>

Hermione froze and didn't say anything. She certainly wasn't expecting to see the entire Weasley clan, Neville, and Luna today. She looked around for Draco, who had fallen back into the room. He looked like he was leaning against the door for support, ready to bolt from there faster than she was.

"Why did you bring me here, Draco?" she wondered. She stared at Draco, hoping to get some answer from him, but his stone eyes betrayed nothing. She shook her head at Draco before realizing that she hadn't not answered Neville, yet.

"I'm fine, Neville," she answered stiffly and softly.

After everyone seemed to get over their initial shock of seeing Hermione and Draco, they all moved into the living room. Draco hung back in the kitchen, feeling more than a little bit uncomfortable in the house he had ridiculed so much as a child, while Harry led Hermione to Ginny. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill and Fleur, Percy and Audrey, George and Angelina, and even Neville and Luna left the room to give them a bit of privacy. Ron's eyes, however, were on Hermione since the moment she walked into the door, and he followed Hermione.

"Hermione," Harry started. He looked at Ginny, who sat down on the couch with a very angry look on her face. "Ginny, please."

Ginny crossed her arms over her chest. She looked away.

"Come on, Ginny," Harry pleaded. "Why are you both acting like this?"

"Ask her," Ginny said in a petty manner. She rubbed her belly. "I didn't ask her to come."

"No, I did," Harry replied. "I wanted her to come. So I asked Malfoy to bring her."

"It's your fault that Malfoy's here!" Ron looked thunderously angry. His face turned red and he looked as if steam would emerge from his ears.

"Ron, calm down," Harry said quickly. He looked between his wife and Hermione. "You miss her, Ginny. I know it." He looked at Hermione. "And we miss you, Hermione. Please let us back in."

Hermione looked silently at them. Her eyes filled with tears and she shook her head and walked back into the kitchen to find Draco, but he was no longer there. She looked out the window and saw him talking to George in the backyard. She was about to turn the knob on the door, but a hand softly laid on her shoulder.

"Hermione, dear," Mrs. Weasley's comforting voice said. She put her arms around Hermione and enveloped her in a tight hug.

The tears came flooding out of Hermione's eyes. She had forgotten what it felt like to be hugged by a mother. She allowed Mrs. Weasley to hold her tighter and continued to cry. Mrs. Weasley stroked her back and held Hermione's face to her shoulder.

"Dear, we don't blame you for what's happened between you and Ronald," Mrs. Weasley said softly. "We really do miss you. I wish you would come around sometime. You can even bring your mother. I would still like to be friends with her even if you and Ronald are no longer getting married."

Hermione shook her head and sobbed even louder. She pulled herself from Mrs. Weasley's grasp and wrenched the door open. She ran down the stairs and into the yard, throwing herself into Draco's arms.

"Please—please—please…" she was crying. She pulled at her hair and scratched her face.

"Hermione!" Draco cried out. He tried to grab her hands, but she moved out of his grasp. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

She didn't say anything, but continued to sob. Draco wrapped his arms around her, trying to calm her down. He started whispering the opening paragraph of _A Tale of Two Cities _to her, at least what he could remember from it, and waited for her to calm down.

A few moments later, she was still breathing heavily, but the tears stopped flowing down her face. Draco wiped the tears from her cheeks and looked deeply into Hermione's brown eyes. He cupped her face and spoke softly to her. "We'll go now, okay? We're leaving." Hermione nodded and bit her lip, feeling a surge of tears in her eyes again. She didn't look up as Draco bid farewell to George, who gave the Weasley twin his apologies for not staying. George walked them to the gate and waved goodbye to them, but Hermione never glanced his way. Draco led them back up the hill and quickly Disapparated them back to his flat.

He led her to the couch and sat her down on it, and tried extracting himself from her hands, but she held on tighter. When Draco finally got one hand free, Hermione clung to his shirt.

"Hermione, I'm going to get you some water," he said gently.

She shook her head frantically and pulled him closer.

"Okay," he said, kneeling down in front of her. Again, he wrapped his arms around Hermione's neck and held her close. She began sobbing again, crying into Draco's chest. Draco did nothing, but continued to hold her until she finally felt like talking.

After a few hours, Hermione finally pulled back from Draco. Draco was glad to be able to stand up and stretch his legs since they had fallen asleep. He sat next to Hermione and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.

"You don't have to say anything unless you want to," he said softly, stroking her cheek.

Hermione took a few deep breaths. "I want to—I think I want to tell you what happened that night. The night my parents died. The night of the car accident that changed my life."

Draco fell silent. That wasn't what he was expecting. He thought she was crying over Weasley or something that had happened back at the Weasley house. "Okay," he simply said. He took Hermione's hand and stroked it softly.

"I…I was with them that day because I wanted to spend more time with them. I was getting married and I hadn't started planning the wedding yet because my mum didn't approve of my getting married."

"She didn't like Weasley?"

"It's not that she didn't like him, but she thought that I wasn't happy."

Draco furrowed his brow, but didn't say anything.

"So we were driving back from camping that day. We used to go camping all the time when I was a child. I guess it's a bit weird—a 27-year-old camping with her parents…but it reminded me of a simpler time. When all I had to worry about was making sure I brushed my teeth right or that I didn't lose a page in my book. And she—we—I…"

Hermione wiped back a tear.

"My dad always went along with my mum. He preferred to not argue over what he called the 'little' things and I suppose this was one of it. Or maybe he agreed with my mum, I don't know. But they…they didn't want me to marry Ron. And…that night—" Hermione's voice choked. "It's my fault," she said. "It's my fault that it all happened."

"It was an accident, Hermione," Draco gently said. "I remember that night. It was raining and the roads were really bad and—"

"And it was my fault," Hermione whispered. "My fault that they're gone." She wiped another tear from her eyes and looked at Draco. "We were fighting again, me and my mum. About the wedding. She always said that Ron and I were no longer the same people that we were when we first got together. I refused to see the truth."

"But, don't lots of mums and daughters fight about stuff like that?"

"Our fight grew," Hermione replied, not answering him. She bit her lip as if she was wondering whether or not she should continue. "The fight about the wedding led to…it led to us fighting about magic. She thinks magic has been taking over my life. I merely tried to tell her that it was a part of me, but it didn't consume me. She said she was beginning to despise magic. Despise it because it's due to magic that I was no longer close to her. She said I wasn't close to her anymore." Hermione started crying again. "She thought I was closer to Mrs. Weasley. That I began to look at Mrs. Weasley as my mother instead of her.

"My dad was silent throughout the whole thing. I could tell he agreed. They always hated that I used magic on them to forget me when we went to destroy the Horcruxes. And that I used magic to bring them back. They thought I was trying to play 'God' or whatnot."

"Really, you did that?"

Hermione nodded sadly and wiped her face.

"And then what happened?" Draco asked in a whispered voice. He was afraid of the answer.

"I wanted to show my parents that magic was all right, that me and Ron were all right. I used a charm…at least I thought I did…and I thought it was supposed to help my father see as he drove, but I must've said it wrong or something, I didn't really know it, I had just briefly glossed over it while I was doing my research for work…It was supposed to keep the car and the roads in front of us safe…but I must've done something wrong because the rain just got worse and my father couldn't see a thing. I still had my wand out and was trying to use it to help us, but…but my mother got angry, so she tried to take it from me. She unbuckled her seatbelt and faced me in the back…and…and I shoved her away from me…into my father as he was driving. He swerved off the road or into something else, I don't remember. All I remember seeing is my mother flying through the window…"

Draco wrapped his arms around Hermione and held her close. He rested his head in the nape of her neck and inhaled, smelling her floral perfume. He rubbed her back in circles, hoping it would bring her some bit of comfort.

"If…if we weren't fighting…if I hadn't tried to use magic…if I didn't shove my mother away from me…they would both still be here. And it's my fault that they're not. It's my fault that I've become completely alone in the world." Hermione immediately erupted into tears.

Draco didn't say anything for a long time. He just continued to hold Hermione until she finished crying. "You're not," he finally said.

"What?" Hermione breathed through her tears.

"You're not completely alone in the world," he said, repeating her words. "You have me. And…and you have Potter, and his wife, and—" Draco stopped when he was about to say Weasley's name.

"I don't have them anymore," she said sadly. "They hate me."

"Why did you push them away?"

Hermione fell silent again. She wiped a fresh wave of tears from her eyes and nuzzled her head into Draco's chest with her eyes closed. "I…I…they would've hated me if they knew what I did. Harry, he doesn't have parents. So he would've hated me for shoving my mother like that. For being the cause of their death when I should've been the one protecting them. And Ginny…her mum is her best friend. She never would've understood."

"I think…I think you should tell them." Hermione looked at Draco with scared, wide eyes. "You don't have to tell them the whole story and what happened and all, but I think you should tell them that your parents passed away. They don't know and that's why they always say the wrong thing—the thing that makes you go back down that dark path."

He kissed her temple and held her close.

"I've been there before, Hermione. I know what it's like to feel like you're standing alone and you don't know what to do. I know what it feels like to feel nothing, to feel completely empty inside. And most of all, I know what it feels like to not forgive yourself. And that's the only way you'll heal, Hermione, if you forgive yourself. What happened was an accident. A complete accident. Your parents…they were just looking out for you. Your mum…she just wanted you to herself. It was an accident. An accident."

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know if I could ever forgive myself. I'm reminded every single day of what I've done."

"So am I," Draco said. He raised his left sleeve and revealed the faded Dark Mark. "I'm not proud of this. In fact, I hate it. When I see it, I'm reminded of the person that I used to be. I'm reminded of how I was too much of a coward to pick a side during the war. I'm reminded of how I was forced to kill and torture so many innocent people. I'm reminded of how I was nearly the cause of Dumbledore's death. But I've somehow managed to forgive myself."

He lowered his sleeve and cupped Hermione's face close to his.

"I'm not going to lie to you. You won't magically forgive yourself and heal from this overnight. It's going to take some time, a lot of time. Fortunately, for yourself, I plan on being here every step of the way. Don't push me away, Hermione. I just want to help you. And I love—I love spending time with you. You've already started healing. You know how long it took for you to even talk about your parents. For you to even mention them. Do you remember when we went to Kensington Gardens and you told me all about your parents? You wouldn't have been able to do that weeks ago. And now, you've finally told me this. You're facing it, Hermione. And I'm going to face it with you, every step of the way."

He looked into her eyes, trying to stay away from the urge to wrap his arms around her and kiss away all her tears. He wouldn't take advantage of her when she was feeling so low about herself.

"Will it ever stop? The pain?"

"No, it won't," Draco answered honestly. "You're going to miss them every single day. But soon, it won't be so bad. You'll remember them, but you'll remember them as they wanted you to think of them. You'll remember your dad as the guy who dipped his bread into his morning coffee. You'll think of your mother and remember how she used to cut the crusts off of your sandwiches for you. The pain never goes away. But it becomes a lot easier to bear. You just have to figure out how you want to face it."

Throughout Draco's impassioned speech, Hermione found herself crying again. She didn't bother wiping her tears, knowing that more would inevitably follow.

"You remember those things about my parents?"

"Of course, you told them to me at Kensington Gardens."

Hermione nodded and looked away. Draco pulled her into his chest again and continued to rub her back.

"You need to grieve for them. Properly," he said. "I'll Owl Potter and tell him that you're taking a couple of weeks for yourself."

"No, I can't. I have too much work and—"

"The pureblood laws will be there when you return, Hermione. They won't change them in a few weeks."

"Weeks? I was thinking maybe days…"

Draco shook his head. He hugged Hermione again and spoke in a soft, gentle voice. "You have to properly grieve your parents," he repeated. "You've been pushing it off and ignoring it for the past few months that you have to face it, Hermione. You can't…let it go that easily. You have to accept what's happened and most of all, you have to forgive yourself. You've been hiding behind your work all these months, you've pushed your friends away, and now…I think you've reached your breaking point."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears while Draco was speaking and now they were running down her face. She shook her head and sloppily wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "I—I can't. I can't do this. I can't—if—it's my fault, Draco! My fault that they're gone."

"It's an accident, Hermione. An accident. Parents and children get into rows all the time. What happened was just an accident. It wasn't your fault."

"I should be punished! I shouldn't be allowed to be happy! I should've just stayed with Ron…"

"And doom yourself to a life of unhappiness? Hermione, nobody deserves that. Especially not you."

Hermione just shook her head again and continued to sob. Draco held her until she fell asleep from exhaustion. He felt her cries begin to slow down and soon, the only sound he heard was Hermione's deep and steady breathing. He carefully moved from underneath Hermione and picked her up to bring her to his room. With one hand, he pulled back the covers and laid her gently on his bed. He slid her shoes off and dropped them to the floor. Draco pulled the blankets up to Hermione's chin and bent down to kiss her tear-streaked cheek.

"Sleep well, love," he whispered to the quiet room.

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><p>What do you think of Hermione's confession? We finally find out why she was so deeply affected and pushed her friends away when her parents died.<p>

If you have the chance, please leave a review and let me know what you think!


	12. Chapter 12

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews once again!

Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

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><p>Draco shut the door to his bedroom as quietly as he could and made his way back to the living room. He knelt at the fireplace and used his wand to light a fire. He threw Floo powder into it, turning the orange flame into bright emerald-green flames. Draco scrunched his face, trying to remember the address to the Potter house.<p>

"Number 12 Grimmauld Place!" he yelled and stuck his face into the fire.

He spat out a mouthful of ash and looked around at the bright kitchen. "Potter!" he yelled. "Potter!" He heard the sound of footsteps coming towards him and Draco shifted uncomfortably in front of his fireplace. He rarely used the Floo network and when he did, it was only to talk to his mother or to Blaise.

"Malfoy!" Potter cried out, opening the door to the kitchen. "What do you want?"

"Hermione will not be in for work for the next few days. Can you let whomever her boss is know?"

Potter nodded. "What happened? Where is she? Why did she run out like that earlier?"

"I can't tell you. It's not in my place to. But she's getting there. I think. She just needs some time to herself."

"I don't want her to be alone. She should stay here with me and Ginny."

Draco scoffed. "Yeah, right. I'll be here with her."

Potter looked at him suspiciously. "I'll let Kingsley know. He's been worried about her, too. If anything happens to her—"

"I know, you'll have my head." Draco rolled his eyes. "Owl me if you must, Potter, but I'd prefer you to keep your distance from her until she's ready to come to you."

Potter looked annoyed, but nodded his head. "Fine. She can get as many days as she needs to—to get better."

Draco nodded. "Thank you—for her." He pulled his head back and Potter's kitchen disappeared with a pop. Draco closed his eyes and shook his head, feeling a bit disoriented. He opened his eyes and grabbed his mobile phone, looking for a certain number.

"LA!" he barked into the phone.

"Damn, Malfoy, what is it?" Amanda's irritated voice came through on the other line.

"I need to take a few days off, maybe more."

"WHAT! Mr. Workaholic Malfoy is actually taking some days off?"

"Hermione's going through something and—"

"Ah, Hermione."

Draco could hear the grin spread through the phone. "It's not like that. She's going through something and I don't want her to be alone."

He heard a sigh over the phone. "Is she all right?"

"She's just…it's not my place to tell you, but I hope so."

"Okay. Is there anything you need me to do?"

"I'll call chief as soon as I get off the call with you. Hey—do you think he'll let me take off suddenly like this?"

"Yes. You haven't used any of your vacation days since you've been here, have you?"

"No, I haven't."

"And you've been at the hospital, like, every single day since our internships started. At least until you got with her. Then you started having a life."

"I'm not with her."

"Not yet."

"Shut it, LA."

"Fine, fine. Is there anything else you need?"

"Yeah, keep up with my patients and keep me updated on how they're doing. Just send me a text or shoot me an email or something."

"Will do."

"Why are you being so nice, LA?" Draco asked, taken aback by Amanda's lack of complaining or snide remarks.

"I care about her too, Malfoy, even if I don't know her that well. She's changed you and I know we annoy the hell out of each other, but you and I are all that's left from our intern class. I do think of you as an annoying brother and I love to get on your nerves. And she's obviously important in your life, so…she's important in mine." There was a pause. "You better not bring this up ever again! Because I'll deny I ever said anything nice about you!"

"Trust me, I won't. And besides, you just called me annoying."

"And she really has changed you. Before, you never left the hospital. She gave you a social life." Amanda laughed a bit. "But seriously, if there's anything else I can do, let me know."

"I will. Thanks."

"You're welcome. Tell Hermione I said hello."

"I will. Bye." Draco closed his phone and sighed. It was the first time he had ever taken off from work, but he thought it was worth it. He waited a few more moments before calling the chief. He had a rushed conversation with him and didn't go into details, but the chief reluctantly allowed for Draco to take a number of days off.

When he got off the phone with the chief, Draco leaned back onto the pillows and rubbed his temples, groaning. He ignored the stabbing hunger pains in his stomach and slowly stood up to make some tea. The entire day replayed in his mind as he sat at the kitchen table, sipping his tea. He sincerely hoped that the time off would help Hermione. He didn't want to get in her way, but he also didn't want her to be by herself.

He remembered how he felt whenever he was alone. He pushed his parents and his friends away. That's largely the reason why he didn't really have many friends in the wizarding world anymore aside from Blaise and to a lesser extent, Pansy. Blaise was the only one who cared enough to keep coming back while Draco was going through his depression. And his parents, especially his mother, kept pushing until he broke down and finally let them in. And truth be told, he felt better mentally and emotionally. He let his parents in and he grew close to Blaise again and dedicated his life to saving others. It was a good life, but one that missed the touch of a girlfriend.

Draco thought he didn't need a girlfriend. He met some girls and Blaise tried to set him up with others, but Draco was never interested. They all bored him. Especially Astoria, whom his mother was set on him dating because she didn't want him to be alone.

Until Hermione came back into his life and they grew close to one another. He knew that she was going through something difficult and he wanted to help her, but he also knew that it was something she had to face on her own.

She was like a breath of fresh air in his life. And he truly enjoyed it. He loved spending time with her, reading with her, and debating their thoughts on whatever either of them were reading. He loved the way she always had to be right—even when she was wrong—and how she always found something to say, even when the conversation was dead and over. He often thought back to their Hogwarts days and wondered why he disliked her so much back then. He knew a large part of it was because she beat him in every test and because of her blood status, but at the moment, he couldn't remember why it was such a big deal.

Draco was growing tired and decided to spend the night on the sofa. He quickly checked his bedroom to see how Hermione was doing. She was sleeping peacefully in his bed, though her face looked troubled. Draco's eyebrows furrowed and he closed the door as quiet as he did when he came. He headed back to the living room and conjured up a blanket and pillows and prepared his bed for the evening.

He slipped underneath the blanket and pulled his shirt over his head, dropping it to the floor. Draco sighed and closed his eyes, thinking about Hermione.

Hours passed and Draco woke, feeling a sore ache in his neck. He groaned and turned over, pulling the pillow from underneath his head and cradled it to his chest.

"I would've been fine sleeping on the couch."

Draco's eyes shot open and he saw Hermione sitting in the loveseat next to him with her knees pulled up to her chest. She looked terrible. But in a beautiful sort of way. Her hair was a wild, tangled mess, but what else is new? Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot and her skin was a sallowy, pale color.

Draco sat up, forgetting that he wasn't wearing a shirt, and shivered at the cold feeling. He pulled the blanket up and wrapped it close to himself.

"I would've been fine sleeping on the couch." Hermione's voice sounded flat and dead as she repeated her words.

"No," Draco said, shaking his head. "It's okay."

"But you hurt yourself."

Draco rubbed his neck, squeezing out the kinks. "I'm fine."

Hermione shook her head and opened her mouth to speak.

Draco held up a finger, shushing her. "We're just going to keep on arguing about this. How long have you been up?" he asked.

"Awhile."

"How are you?" He picked up his shirt and pulled it over his head. He lowered the blanket and made his way over to the loveseat to sit next to her. He wrapped the blanket around them both and pulled her close to him.

Hermione shrugged. "I feel like…like it happened all over again. I woke up this morning feeling the same as I did back then."

"It's a tough thing to accept. And get over."

"And I've been thinking about what you said, about…"

"About what?" Draco prodded.

"The whole thing about…about forgiving yourself." She looked earnestly at Draco. Her eyes were filling with tears, but she seemed to have cried everything out already. "How did you do it?"

Draco exhaled, carefully thinking about his answer to her question. "I'm not quite sure," he answered after a few silent moments. "It took a great deal of time, though. Sometimes I don't think I've ever really forgiven myself. But then, I'll be reminded of who I used to be and think of how far I've come."

"What—what did you go through? I mean, I know what you went through, not to say that I know exactly what happened to you or what was going through your mind, but—" She stopped speaking when she saw Draco's smile. "What?" she asked, slightly crestfallen.

"Nothing. It's cute when you ramble." Draco grinned at her and put an arm around her. "After the war, I didn't want to be reminded of it. Of any of it. I really and truly hated the person that I had become. And I felt guilty. For doing all of those things. Torturing all those innocent people, nearly killing Dumbledore, Weasley, and that Katie Bell girl…"

"Did you ever murder anyone?"

Draco grimaced and bent his head. "Once. It was an accident, though. I didn't mean...my aunt pushed me too far and I got mad and...and the Muggle we held prisoner, she pushed him in my way. That was the only time. I couldn't go through with it on a normal basis. It's one of the reasons why I displeased my dear Auntie Bella so much." He grimaced. "I hated it. All of it. And I couldn't run away from it. Where was I to go? He took over my home. I was scared of disappointing my parents, so I—I just kept my nose down and did what I was told. But I couldn't talk to them and pretty soon, I was terrified of confiding in anyone.

"So after the war, when I left to go to university, I decided I would be different. But in a lot of ways, I hadn't changed. I didn't want my parents to worry about me, about what had happened, so I pushed them away. I stopped talking to all of my Slytherin friends and it's not like I had any friends in any of the other Houses, so no loss there. I think I really started to heal was when I started talking to Scott in our sessions. And that was when I started my internship at the hospital. He encouraged me to open up to my parents and eventually, I did. I've never been closer to my mother than I am now. And Blaise…he's really a true friend, you know. After all that crap that I pulled when we were at Hogwarts, after completely ignoring him for however many years…he was still there. And he still is. After I talked to Scott and after I talked to my parents, I felt like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. Like nothing was tearing me down. I realized a lot of things in those sessions with Scott."

"Like what?"

"Scott and I talked about a lot of things, not just the war. We talked about my childhood and how I grew up and I realized my impossible desire of trying to be like my father when I was growing up. Of my…insatiable need to please my father. I…I guess I realized a lot of things when I was talking to Scott. A lot of things that I already knew, but I just didn't…never thought of, I guess."

Hermione nodded. "Should I try to talk to him again?"

"That, my dear, is up to you. I can't, no, I won't make that decision for you. But if you are asking for my advice and suggestion, then yes, I advise you to talk to Scott. Which I have been saying for how long now."

"What if I just want to talk to you?"

"I'm fine with that, too."

Hermione fell silent. She smiled at Draco, but still retained that lost look in her eyes. She reached for the remote to the telly and turned it on, flipping through the channels.

"It's just easier to talk to you, Draco," she said, not looking at him. "I like talking to you. I'd rather talk to you."

"That's fine. Just don't keep all of your emotions bottled up. It'll eat you alive."

Hermione gave him a funny look. "You really have changed since Hogwarts, you know."

"Well, we can't all be the same prats that we were when we were younger, now can we? We've got to grow up sometime."

"I wish I were younger sometimes. And not get so caught up in the wizarding world that I forget about my other one."

Draco shrugged. "You learn from your mistakes."

"My mistakes cost me my parents."

"And mine nearly cost me my parents and my life."

Hermione looked at him thoughtfully. "That night…Dumbledore…what was going on with you then? When did you become a Death Eater? And why?"

"I know now that it was to punish my father for failing to retrieve that prophecy you guys broke." He gave her a small smile. "But at the time, I thought I was becoming a man. Little did I know, I was emasculating myself, one curse at a time. I thought I'd raise the family so we'd be the favorites of the Dark Lord. All he wanted from us was our house. And I became a Death Eater during the summer between fifth and sixth year."

"When did you…become disenchanted with it?"

"During sixth year, when I was given that assignment of killing Dumbledore. The Dark Lord had already taken up residence at my house and had taken to torturing my mother for each week that passed that Dumbledore was still alive."

"That's horrible."

Draco nodded. "It's all in the past now. And I've learned to appreciate my mother more now. I used to find her weak compared to my father. She never raised a word against him, never went against his will. My father ruled our house. Then I found out how admirable my mother really is. She just thought it would be better to keep the peace."

"Can I meet your mother?"

"Of course. I think she would enjoy a visit from you. I've actually been keeping her up-to-date on our…friendship."

Hermione smiled. "Does she know? About my parents?"

Draco reluctantly nodded. "I told her after you first came into the hospital. I didn't think you and I would…would become friends afterward."

Hermione nodded. "Okay." She smiled at Draco, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

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><p>Kind of a filler chapter, but Draco and Hermione do get closer! And we do have a little bit of Harry and Amanda. Narcissa will be in the next chapter, though!<p>

And as research for a future chapter: what sort of questions do you think a Slytherin would ask a Gryffindor? And vice versa? What sort of questions would a Gryffindor ask a Slytherin? They can be general questions. And hey, your question may end up in a future chapter!

Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

Hello out there! Thanks again to everyone for continuing to read this story! I really appreciate it and I love reading the reviews and seeing all the alerts/favorites!

**NazChick**: Thanks! They'll continue to grow closer and closer…everything that we love about these two! =D

**Rephiamlove**: =D, thanks for reading!

**Soawesome013**: Thank you for reading!

**GottaGetBackUp**: You get a special high-five for noticing the Starkid references! Lopez—Draco's friend at the hospital. And Bonnie—Hermione's mom. Tried to keep it with their characters. Tyler, I actually caught when you pointed him out! Lol. He's actually named for an actual Nurse Tyler from Grey's Anatomy.

**Readerforlife**: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it!

**Nature_love_95**: Thanks for reading!

Here's the new chapter! I had a difficult time trying to decide whether or not I wanted to break it up into two chapters. But in the end, I just stuck it all in one to help move the story along. So it's extra long for all of you!

I hope you all enjoy!

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><p>A few days later, Hermione still felt like crap. She was glad that she told Draco what really happened on the night of her parents' car accident and hoped that it would help her get better, but so far, she felt nothing.<p>

She was happy that she didn't have to go in to work, but worried about everything piling up on her desk. She just didn't have the energy to fake it anymore. She just didn't have the energy to pretend that everything was all right with her.

Draco kept her company. He never left her alone, but he never stifled her. He made her stay in his flat, sleeping on the couch while Hermione took over his bedroom. She refused to stay in his room at first, but Draco insisted that she sleep on the bed. They only left his flat to retrieve some more of Hermione's belongings and to get food.

The two of them spent most of the days and nights continuing to talk and while Hermione didn't feel happier, she felt more at ease. She was slowly accepting her parents' death and her inadvertent role in it, but she still felt horrible about it.

One evening, Hermione sat at Draco's kitchen table, waiting for him to finish making their supper. She watched as he moved around the kitchen with ease. He continued to surprise her in the past few days that they'd spent together. He tried teaching her how to cook, but, so far, he was unsuccessful at it.

She was glad that they've gotten even more closer now. He made her laugh and joked around with her, but he always knew when to stop and start being serious. He always genuinely listened to her stories and seemed to sincerely want to know the answer whenever he asked her how she was feeling.

"What?" Draco asked, waving his wand to set the table. "Why are you just staring at me?"

She shook her head and smiled at him. "It's nothing."

"Are you okay?" he asked, staring deeply into her eyes.

She shook her head again. "No. But I'm getting there. I am. I'm trying."

He brushed his lips over the top of her head. "I know you are." He returned to their meal and prepared to bring it to the table when a soft thumping noise was heard from the window.

"Oh, it's an owl," Hermione said, standing up. "I'll get it." She walked over to the window and let the owl in. She pulled the letter from the owl's leg and it flew off into the night.

"Who'd be owling me?" Draco wondered.

"It's for me," Hermione said, looking at the letter. She looked up at Draco. "It's from your mother."

"Oh, what did she say?" he asked, placing a hot tray of lasagna on the table. "I Flooed her the other day, telling her that you wanted to meet her. She was on her way to spend a few days with Aunt 'Dromeda. I guess she's back home or something."

Hermione slid her finger through the envelope and quickly read through the letter. "She's back at her place now. She wants me to come over to have lunch tomorrow. And you're to drop me off and leave."

"What? She didn't write that." He grabbed the letter from Hermione and quickly read through it. "She did. Gosh, that woman. Doesn't even want to see her own son."

Hermione rolled her eyes and snatched the letter back from him. She set it down and reached for the lasagna. "I guess she just wants some girl time."

Draco snorted. "You've barely even met her and you're going to have some 'girl time' with my mum?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "Should I bring something for her?"

"No. Unless you want to."

"I'd like to. What sort of things does she like?"

Draco shrugged. "She's taken up knitting the Muggle way. It passes the time for her."

"I could get her some needles."

"If you want."

"I can't just show up to your mum's house empty-handed."

"I do all the time."

"Well, yeah! She's your mum!"

Draco chuckled. "Shall we buy it in the morning?"

"No…I have to stop by home first."

"Oh, okay. What for?"

"My mum used to knit. I have her old knitting needles. Perhaps your mother would like those?" Hermione looked hopeful.

"Hermione, you can't keep giving your parents' stuff away just because it reminds you of them too much."

"When have I done that?"

"Might I remind you—your flat does not have any silverware because you gave it away."

"Oh yeah."

"Hey, we'll stop by your place and then Floo over to my mum's, okay? And I'll figure out something to do while you two are having your 'girl time.'" he said, using his fingers to put quotations around the last two words.

Hermione gave him a small smile. "Just don't go back to the hospital. As much as I know you love it there and I love seeing you at work, I quite like having you all to myself."

"Well, I like having you all to myself, too." He gazed into her eyes, longing to say more. "But…no promises about the hospital. I do, however, promise to leave when you and my mum are through with your 'girl time.'"

"Do you have to make quotations every time?" Hermione mimicked Draco's motions. She laughed and stared into Draco's eyes. She wanted so badly to lean forward and kiss him, but she felt like she'd be taking advantage of their friendship. He'd been so helpful to her that she didn't want to do anything that would jeopardize their friendship. Especially if he didn't feel the same way.

Draco stared back into Hermione's eyes with the same intensity. He could feel the blood rush into his face and his heart beat faster. He was so close to Hermione that he could hear her soft breathing.

"Hermione…" he said softly, brushing her cheek with the back of his hand. He leaned closer to her.

A loud ringing sound interrupted them and they jumped away from each other. Draco glanced around the kitchen quickly, running his fingers through his hair. Hermione sat at the table and slowly began to eat, trying to calm down her racing pulse. Draco grabbed the phone and quickly looked at it.

"It's the hospital," he said, his eyebrows furrowing. "I wonder what they want…"

Hermione looked worried. She wasn't sure if she was more worried that he'd have to go back or that something had happened at the hospital. "Answer it," she said.

Draco nodded and held the phone to his ear. "Hello?" He immediately groaned. "What do you want, LA?"

Hermione's ears perked up at the name.

"Fine, Lopez-Anderson. Now what do you want?"

Hermione picked at her food, listening to Draco's end of the conversation.

"What? Are you serious? I'm on vacation, but I guess I could come in real quick tomorrow. Why?"

Hermione shot him a glare. Draco's eyes widened and he nodded at Hermione's expression.

"But when I say I have to leave, I have to leave."

Hermione nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, I know that I'm the only one who always stays. Whatever. Yeah. What is it, anyway? You're a strange person, LA. Yeah. I swear I won't. Bye." Draco hung up the phone and tossed it onto the counter.

"What did Amanda want?"

Draco thought for a bit. "She wanted to show me something at the hospital. I can't talk about it yet, because it's something that's still…I don't know what it is still, actually, but LA told me not to say anything to anybody, especially you."

"Why?"

Draco shrugged. "I dunno. Said it's a surprise."

They returned to their dinner, talking about _Dune. _Hermione finally finished the book and was currently reading the first of its many sequels. They quickly finished their dinner and settled into the living room to watch a movie. Draco and Hermione sat on opposite ends of the couch, but ended the movie sitting next to each other, with Draco's arm around Hermione and Hermione half-asleep on Draco's shoulder. He smiled at the sight and carefully slipped from her grasp to carry her into his bedroom. He stroked her forehead with his thumb and leaned down, very close to her face.

"Sleep well, love," he said, repeating the same words he's said to her as she was asleep for the past few days that she'd been staying with him. He hovered over her and leaned down, giving her a quick peck on the forehead before he quietly left the room.

The next day, Hermione woke up before Draco did and quickly got ready to meet with Draco's mother. She remembered that she was an old-fashioned pureblooded witch and she wasn't sure what she should wear. She'd always been more comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt than in a dress and heels and she preferred to wear what she found comfort in, but she wanted to make a good impression on Narcissa Malfoy.

Hermione finally decided on wearing a flowery yellow summer dress that stopped right at her knees, with an off-white cardigan. Instead of wearing heels, she decided to stick with flat brown shoes, remembering how she hated the feeling of heels the first time she wore them.

She walked out of Draco's bedroom and nearly ran into him as he left the bathroom.

"Whoa, you look pretty, Granger. It's just my mum," he said, looking at her up and down. "It's not like you're having tea with the queen."

"I just want to look nice!" she responded, feeling a bit self-conscious about herself.

"Well, you look beau—you look really nice," he said. He gestured toward the living room. "Shall we go? My mum usually prefers us to use the Floo. She doesn't like it when people suddenly Apparate to her front door. It reminds her of the war. With the Floo system, she usually knows or can control who comes into her house."

Hermione nodded as she grabbed a handful of green powder from Draco. She followed his lead and shouted the same words from her mouth. A few seconds later, she stumbled out of a fireplace and Draco pulled her to her feet, wiping off soot and ash from her dress. He leaned down and whispered into her ear.

"I bet you didn't count your good impression to include you being covered in ash, did you?" he asked cheekily. He chuckled a bit at Hermione's angry glare and used his wand to clean the pair of them off. "Mum?" he called into the room. "Hermione and I are here!"

"In the kitchen, darling!"

"Come on," Draco placed his hand on Hermione's arm, intending to lead her, but she wouldn't move. "Don't tell me that you're nervous! You've met my mother before, she's—she's even seen you…get tortured," he said with a whisper. "You can't be shy in front of her. She thinks you have…spunk, too."

"What do I say to her?"

"Whatever you want. She'll ask you questions. You answer. You ask her questions, she answers. That's how normal conversations usually work."

Hermione rolled her eyes and shoved him, but allowed Draco to lead her to the kitchen. There, Narcissa was setting up two plates on the table. She smiled brightly when she saw Hermione and Draco entering the kitchen.

"Draco!" she said with a grin. She quickly embraced her son and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I received a letter from Teddy warning me that once he's all done at Hogwarts, I will not have a son anymore, because Teddy's going to use everything he's learned on you. But I won't be lonely, because Teddy will be an even better grand-nephew for me." She laughed. "It was riddled with spelling errors and turquoise and brown hair. I think he was in the middle of changing his hair when he wrote it."

Draco laughed. "So he's still a bit mad at me, then? Did he make it okay to Hogwarts, then? What House did he get into?"

"He's a Gryffindor, dear." Narcissa turned her attention to the young lady standing close to the doorway. "Hermione?" she said carefully. Narcissa wrapped her arms around Hermione and gave her a long and tight hug, just like a mother would. She pulled Hermione into her shoulder and rested her head on top of Hermione's. "I'm so sorry for your loss," she whispered.

Immediately, Hermione felt a wave of tears flood her eyes and she willed herself not to cry. She didn't want to shed tears on Narcissa's clothes and dirty them up. But Hermione couldn't hold it in. When Narcissa started to rub her back in counter-clockwise circles with the right amount of pressure just like her mother used to, she let it all out.

Hermione probably cried for only a few minutes, but to her, it felt like hours. When she finally pulled away from Narcissa, she saw Draco holding a cup of tea out to her and accepted it before taking a seat at the kitchen table. He gave his mother a small smile and a hug and a kiss on the cheek, saying goodbye to her. He then turned to Hermione and did the same, hugging her just a bit longer.

"Just call me, okay? When you're ready to leave," he said, holding up his mobile. "I promise I won't stay too late at the hospital."

Narcissa's eyes widened and she nodded. "All right, darling," she said. She waited until she heard the familiar cracking sound of Apparition before speaking again. Narcissa gestured to the table and Hermione sat down. "I hope you'd like a simple lunch today. It would've been more elaborate, but the house-elves are off today. They do like taking off together," she added as an afterthought with a smile.

"It's okay," Hermione said in a small voice, retreating into herself.

Narcissa furrowed her brow and looked at Hermione closely. "You know, the war taught me a lot of things. It taught me to value the short life that I have with my son while I still have it. It taught me not to take anything for granted. It taught me that stupid issues like blood purity or social class are just that—stupid. It taught me that there are things worth fighting for. And for me, it was my son. It still is." She sighed and picked up her fork, dipping it into her salad. "I can't pretend I know what you're going through. My parents passed away when I was already an adult and they were old and sick. But I do know that your parents wouldn't want you wallowing away in self-pity and hate. If I passed, I don't want Draco to spend his days like that."

Moments of silence passed and Hermione deeply thought about Narcissa's words.

"I try not to let it affect me. I just—I don't know how."

"It will affect you, Hermione. You have to let it affect you. When Draco—after the war, when Draco was in his depressed state, he tried to not let it affect him, too. And that worried me far more than him taking the Dark Mark. He was apathetic, he didn't care for anything. He was there and alive, but he was…different. The war changed him. I know you and my son have become friends—good friends, but I wish you would let him help you."

"He has helped me. More than I can say. And I have nothing to repay him with."

"I don't think Draco wants any repayment." Narcissa took a sip of her tea. "I hope you don't mind that I jump right into that. I don't like beating around the bush, as Muggles say."

Hermione nodded slowly. "How were you after the war? I always hear about Draco—he told me what he went through and what it took for him to become a surgeon, but I never knew how you fared after the war."

"Nobody's ever asked me before." Narcissa smiled at her before answering her question. "I was a mess. My husband was a disgraced Death Eater, my son was terrified out of his mind, as was I, and my family name and house were associated with the darkest of magic. I knew I had to be strong for my family. I couldn't show them any weakness. Draco was going through something, I had to be strong for him. Lucius was going through the trial, I had to be strong for him. But, in my head, I was a complete and utter mess."

"How did you get better?"

"I reached out to my sister. The only sister I have left. And she, thankfully, accepted me back into her life. And she became my rock, my person I can lean on, that I can trust to be strong for me. And I became hers. We had each other, just like before, when we were children, before we got caught up in all this blood purity nonsense."

"And I have Draco," Hermione said in a soft voice. She smiled at Narcissa. "Your son has been very kind to me."

"That makes me very happy. I do hope he is behaving himself, though."

"Of course. The perfect gentleman."

They fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts.

"You know, during the war, I did some atrocious things," Narcissa said. "Not to the extent of the Death Eaters, I was never branded with the Mark, but I did things that I was not proud of. And even before the war, I did appalling things as well. It takes a long time to forgive one's self. It's not easy. It's extremely difficult. You may say that you've forgiven yourself, but it doesn't matter unless you really and truly feel it. And when that moment comes, only then can you allow yourself to be at peace." Narcissa placed a soft hand over Hermione's. "I know you miss your mother and your father, and you always will, but they would want you to be at peace. I'm sure of it. And…in no way am I trying to replace your mother, but since you have grown close to Draco, I just—if ever you need motherly advice or a shoulder to lean and cry on, I am here for you."

She smiled kindly and leaned in closer. "Draco is, after all, a man. Sometimes, he just won't understand."

* * *

><p>"Why have you made me come in on my day off, LA?" Draco drawled, walking up to the nurse's desk where Amanda stood chatting with the other residents. "What's this thing you just had to show me?" They all greeted Draco and left, presumably to check on their patients or head back to the OR.<p>

"I have the most amazing case ever!" she sang. Amanda headed toward an office and beckoned for Draco to follow. "You'll never believe it! I just had to call and show you!"

"Show it off, you mean."

Amanda threw Draco a mischievous glance. She stood with her back to the door and prepared to turn the knob. "Prepare to be amazed!"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Come off it, LA."

"It's Lopez-Anderson."

"Whatever."

"Ta-da!" Amanda threw open the door and waved her hands into the office. "Come in!"

Draco reluctantly walked into the room and his eyes widened at what he saw. "Is that…a heart?"

"A _beating _heart!" Amanda closed the door and bounced happily to the table to sit directly in front of the heart.

"How—why—what is it doing in there?"

"We were in the middle of doing a transplant, but the patient died on the table, and the heart's healthy, so last I heard, Keating was trying to find another transplant patient, so I get to baby-sit a heart!"

"A beating heart, apparently."

"Yes, Malfoy, a beating heart! Isn't it cool?"

"Yeah, it actually is." Draco pulled up a chair and sat across from the heart. They sat for a few moments in silence, just watching and listening to the steady beat of the heart's rhythm.

"So, how's Hermione?" Amanda casually asked. She didn't take her eyes off of the heart.

"Not well, but…I think she's getting there."

"What happened?"

"I can't really talk about it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"I showed you my beating heart."

"So?"

"So tell me what's going on with my friend."

"Last I checked, she was my friend."

"Doesn't mean she can't have us both. What's going on with her?"

Draco took his eyes off the heart and turned sideways to look at Amanda. "If I tell you, you can't say a word to her nor act like anything has changed."

"Malfoy, one of the best things about being a doctor, a surgeon most importantly, is your ability to separate your emotions from your feelings. You know I'm the best at it."

"Whatever." Draco rolled his eyes and shook his head. He sighed. "Hermione's parents died in a car crash. And she hasn't been handling it well. Hasn't exactly…accepted it yet. Until she broke down and told me everything that happened that night. Why she feels so guilty about it."

Amanda gasped and brought her hands to her mouth. "What? When? There weren't any car accident victims that came through here as far as I know."

"A few months ago. Here, actually. Her parents were my patients. I was in charge of the ER that night."

"And now you're dating the daughter of your patients?"

"No. First of all, I'm not dating her, we're just friends. And second of all, I knew her long before she even stepped foot into the emergency room."

"From where?"

"School…primary school. She hated me."

"I would've hated you, too. Still do sometimes."

"I used to always pick on her. Ridicule her."

"Aw, ickle Malfoy, teasing Hermione because you harbored a secret crush?"

Draco threw her a dirty look. "No, LA. I didn't like her. Sure, I thought she was cute and whatever, but I hated her."

Amanda snorted. "Why?"

"Because she was a Mug-I mean, she beat me in every exam we had at Ho—at school."

Amanda laughed. "Of course. Mr. Malfoy has to be the best at everything."

Draco nodded. "Yeah. I've actually calmed down a lot since school."

"I could tell."

"How?"

"You and Hermione are practically inseparable. Where is she, anyway? I was expecting her to be with you."

"She's having lunch with my mother. And you told me not to tell her."

"I told you not to tell her. I didn't say that you couldn't bring her. But still, lunch with the future mother-in-law, huh?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Shut up, LA." He turned his attention back to the heart while Amanda continued teasing Draco. "Tuning you out now and watching the heart in the box."

* * *

><p>"It's been a wonderful day, Hermione," Narcissa said, retrieving Hermione's cardigan for her. "I do hope we could do it again. I would like that very much." She gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek.<p>

"I'd like that, too, Mrs. Malfoy. I'm very…I, uh, thank you for everything. Especially for our talk today. I…well, it helped a lot."

"I'm glad it did. If you ever need to talk and Draco's unavailable since he works those ungodly hours, you can always call me." Narcissa rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a mobile phone. "Draco made me get one when he decided he would be in the Muggle world. Although, I still don't know how to use it." She frowned apologetically.

Hermione smiled. "I could teach you one day."

"I'd like that." Narcissa grinned and opened the phone. "Shall we call Draco?"

"No, I'm sure he's probably still at the hospital. I'll just Apparate over there if you don't mind."

"Not at all, dear. Tell him to come by when he has the chance. I'd like to speak to him in person." Narcissa gave Hermione another kiss on the cheek and waved at her. "Be safe, Hermione. But most importantly, be at peace and be happy."

"I'll try. Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy."

In a flash and a loud crack, Hermione disappeared and reappeared a few seconds later in an alleyway behind the hospital. She looked around to make sure she was alone and when she felt satisfied, walked around to the front to enter the hospital.

"Excuse me," Hermione said, approaching the nurse's desk after she made her way to the surgical wing. "Have you seen Dr. Malfoy?"

The nurse frowned and furrowed her eyebrows. "I believe Dr. Malfoy is out today. He's still on vacation." She glanced behind Hermione at the operating schedule for the day. It was hanging on a large white-erase board. "Yes, he's not scheduled for any surgeries today."

"Actually, I just popped in for a bit." Draco's voice came up behind Hermione. He placed a hand on her arm and grinned at the nurse. "LA needed my help with something so bad that she asked me to come in."

The nurse nodded absentmindedly to Draco and resumed her paperwork.

"Come with me. I want to show you something." Draco took Hermione's hand and led her down a hallway. "How was lunch with my mother? And why didn't you call? I would've left."

Hermione shook her head. "No, it's okay. It was probably easier this way. Lunch was good. Great, actually. I'd love to see your mother again."

"I'm sorry for telling her. But I told her whenever you first came through the ER. I had no idea we'd become friends."

Hermione smiled. "No, I'm glad you told her. She really helped. I suppose it's easier that she knew already."

"And then she kept asking me about you and how you were and I couldn't lie to my mum."

"It's okay. I'm glad you told her," she repeated.

Draco stopped and smiled at her. "My mum is a very wise woman. She did live through a lot of crap. And she's still here and for the first time in my life, I can say that she's truly happy, you know? I'm sure she misses my father, but she's somehow accepted that. And I've never been closer to her than I am now."

Hermione nodded. "She gave me a different perspective on some things. I liked talking to her. And she said she wants you to visit her too."

"We could go another day. And see when it's good for her. For a woman who no longer has to raise a child, she is extraordinarily busy."

"Well, she does loads of things! Her job keeps her busy and she loves visiting Andromeda."

"I didn't say she doesn't do things," Draco said, a little exasperatedly. "I just merely meant that normally a child makes one busy."

"Maybe she was waiting for you to leave home before her life really started."

"Oh, that hurts the boy you went to school with."

Hermione laughed. "What do you want to show me?"

"It's right behind this door." Draco stood in front of it as Amanda did earlier.

"What?"

Draco opened the door and quickly led Hermione in. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Amanda before they strayed to the heart in the box. Her face turned from one of surprise and confusion to disgust.

"Is that—what is that?" she asked, trying to cover up her disgust. With the huge smiles on Amanda and Draco's faces, she could tell that they were fascinated by the thing.

"It's a heart, Hermione!" Amanda exclaimed, jumping up and wrapping her arms around Hermione. She glanced at Draco over Hermione's shoulder and he gave her a firm look. "How are you? I can't believe you've convinced Malfoy over here to take off from work. He never does."

"Oh…" Hermione pulled away from Amanda and shyly glanced back at Draco. "I usually never take off from work, also."

"Must be meant to be then!" Amanda winked at Draco and Hermione looked confused. Draco's gray eyes narrowed in anger at Amanda.

Hermione glanced at the heart. "So…why are you sitting here watching a heart?"

Amanda quickly explained what happened to Hermione. She sat down next to Hermione and leaned back on the chair, putting her feet on the desk and her hands behind her head. Draco swiftly walked over and pulled her chair so she fell backward, but didn't let go so Amanda didn't actually fall out of the chair.

"Malfoy, you jerk!"

"Get out, LA."

"This is my heart."

"Get out. Stay at the door, though. I have to talk to Hermione."

Amanda glared at Draco as she stood. She shoved her shoulder against Draco as she walked toward the door. "You could've just said that."

"It wouldn't have been as fun."

Amanda rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Make it quick. I'm losing the heart's magic out here."

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

Draco sat down next to her and gestured to the heart. "Look at that. It's a heart. In a box."

Hermione followed his gaze toward the heart. "Forgive me, Draco, but I don't find this as fascinating as you do. I suppose that's why you're in medicine and I'm not."

Draco chuckled. "Don't look at it as just a heart in a box. I mean, yeah, that is what it is, but it's not just that. It's times like these when I love being a doctor. And I hate so much that LA is the one who's in charge of this case."

"I'm sorry. You would've been here if it wasn't for me."

"Oh no, don't even try to start blaming yourself. You know I don't blame you. And I won't. Because if I had a choice between heart in a box and making sure that you're okay, you know I'd choose you." He gazed at Hermione intensely.

Hermione's cheeks reddened and she broke eye contact with Draco to look at the heart. "So the heart in a box."

"Yeah. Heart in a box."

"I'm afraid I still don't get it."

"How the hell is a heart beating outside of its body? This heart, as LA so eloquently put it, is all dressed up with no place to go. It doesn't have a body, it doesn't have someone to sustain their life. So, again, how the hell is a heart beating outside of its body?"

"I dunno…I guess it's a miracle."

"Exactly. It's a miracle." He and Hermione fell silent, watching the heart beat steadily in front of them.

"Wow," Hermione said after a few momenst.

Draco smiled and glanced at her. "You're just saying that."

"I'm not! It is fascinating."

"Whatever." Draco shook his head and moved to stand. "Come on, let's go." He held his hand out for Hermione and she quickly took it. They walked out of the room and said their goodbyes to Amanda, who berated them for staying in the room so long.

"You know, I do get it, Draco," Hermione said. The two of them quickly walked out of the hospital, although Draco stopped a few times to chat with some of his fellow doctors. "The whole heart in a box thing."

Draco just nodded. He didn't want to interrupt Hermione.

"I've been a mess. I am a mess. And you've helped me these past few months, you really have. And your mother, today, she gave me some great advice. The heart in a box is a miracle. And seeing it today, thanks for that by the way, it kind of…changed my perspective a bit, I guess. It inspired me."

"And maybe gave you a little bit of strength?"

Hermione nodded. "Yeah. It did."

"Good. Then I'm taking you to see your parents now."

* * *

><p>What did you think? How do you like Narcissa and Hermione's relationship shaping out to be?<p>

And again, a little Grey's shout-out there, with the heart in a box. I would like to give a special bit of recognition to **hungrybookworm** who suggested including the heart in a box case. So thanks! =D.

Thanks for reading! And if you have the chance, please review!


	14. Chapter 14

Hello all! Thanks again for the wonderful reviews. I really do enjoy hearing your thoughts on the chapter and the story and the way the characters are. I hope they are somewhat believable in the whole HP universe that the great JKR created.

**NazChick: **Thank you! And you're right. I think Mrs. Weasley is more of a smothering type while Narcissa would just be there for Hermione, offering support without stifling her. I'm glad you liked the chapter!

**KodeV: **Thank you so much! And I love Grey's Anatomy, too! One of the best shows that really captivate me from the beginning. =D

**livedadream: **Thank you for reading! Unfortunately, it'll still be a bit before Hermione feels ready to tell Harry...but she will!

**Rephiamlove: **I agree completely! Narcissa's another sound board for Hermione.

**Readerforlife: **Thank you so much!

**BamBooks15: **You'll probably hate me for ending this chapter the way I do! =D THanks for reading, though!

**Cherri-Babii: **Yes, heart in a box is so awesome! Cristina so kicked ass at it! lol. Thanks for reading!

And here's the next chapter! It's a lot shorter than the previous chapter, but I hope you all enjoy it!

* * *

><p>"What!" Hermione looked stricken with fear and anxiety. "I can't—I'm not ready."<p>

"You are," Draco reassured. He placed his hands on her arms and led her to a secluded corner.

"No, Draco, no, please!"

"Hermione, don't struggle or you'll be splinched," Draco said gently.

Hermione tried to calm her breathing and leaned forward so she was resting against Draco's chest. Draco wrapped his arms around her. In a second, they Disapparated to a quiet cemetery and Draco took Hermione's hand and led her down a trail.

After dropping Hermione off at his mother's, he decided to seek out her parents' graves, knowing that she hadn't stepped foot near them since the burial. He originally just wanted to know where they were for future reference, whenever Hermione felt strong enough to visit them, and he didn't think it would be that same day, but now he was glad that he had the foresight to search for her parents before going into the hospital.

Draco felt Hermione squeeze his hand and she leaned into him, burying her face in the upper part of his arm. He squeezed back and tried to give her a reassuring smile, but he couldn't see her face. They slowly and silently walked to a secluded area where there was a larger grave sharing one stone above it. On it, the dates of birth and death were written for Hermione's father and mother. Draco knelt down in front of the grave and looked around. Upon seeing that they were alone, he pulled out his wand and conjured up a bouquet of fresh gardenias and carefully placed it before the gravestone. He glanced up at Hermione and pulled her down so she was kneeling next to him.

Tears were silently streaming down her face. Draco rubbed Hermione's back and the two of them sat quietly before the gravestone.

"Well…it's nice to meet you, Dr. and Dr. Granger. I'm Draco Malfoy. I'm sure you've heard some…things about me before. Horrible things, I bet. The sad thing is that it was all true. I was an arrogant, condescending, evil child at Hogwarts, your daughter's old school. But, I'm not here to talk about myself. Needless to say, I've done it numerous times with my therapist. And it's a lot more difficult than one can say. I just came here today because I wanted to thank you. Thank you for raising such a wonderful, amazing, talented, intelligent, remarkable, and beautiful daughter. She really is something, but I'm sure you both knew that. I'm sure you also know how much she loves you. And how much she misses you. She's a very kind, a great listener, and…I regret very much not getting to know her from the first time that I met her. She says that I've helped her a lot these past few months, but she's helped me a lot, too. And I don't even think she knows it. Yeah, I've changed from the person that I was at Hogwarts, into someone that I am now proud to be. But your daughter transformed me into a person that I'm happy with."

Draco stopped talking and looked at Hermione. He squeezed her shoulder and stood up, brushing his knees of the blades of grass that stuck to his jeans.

"I'll just stand right there," he said, pointing to a tree a few graves away. "If you want some privacy." He was about to walk away, but Hermione pulled at his sleeve. She stood up and shook her head.

"I don't."

Draco gave her a curious look, but took Hermione's hand and Apparated away. They reappeared in Draco's living room and Hermione tore her hand away from Draco.

"You shouldn't have brought me there," she said angrily. "I didn't want to go! I wasn't ready!"

"You didn't want to visit your parents?" Draco asked. "The people who love and care for you?"

"Not anymore, not since they died."

"They still do! The fact that they're gone doesn't matter! You are ready to see them. You are ready to face them. Every single day, you've been getting better and better. You've been facing their deaths, accepting it. You've even started to forgive yourself. I know, I've been here and I've seen you change. I know that's the hardest part, Hermione, but you've just got to trust yourself! You're just afraid, Hermione! What you're afraid of, I don't know! But I'm here for you! And you know that!" Draco shook his head as if he was trying to clear it. "When we were at Hogwarts, you were the only person there that was sure of yourself. That person is still in you somewhere. And I think she's fighting to come out!"

"I'm not that person anymore, Draco!" Hermione yelled. "I've changed, my parents—"

"Your parents wouldn't want you to be this shell of the person you used to be!"

"You don't know my parents, you don't know what they would've wanted. And now, I don't either, since—"

"It was an accident, Hermione! It wasn't your fault!"

"I killed them!"

"You did not! You didn't know what was going to happen, Hermione! You weren't the one who was controlling the weather that night!"

"I argued with my mum and—"

"And people argue all the time! It was an accident! You didn't mean it! I'm sure your mum and dad know it was an accident!" Draco sighed and lowered his voice.

"If I didn't—"

"Don't think about the 'ifs,' Hermione. It'll just drive you insane. I spent years in a black hole. I pushed away my parents, my friends. I ran away from the only world that I knew. I don't want to see you go through that. I don't want you to be as lost as I was."

"Don't act as if you care, Draco!" Hermione stood before him, anger flashing in her eyes. "What was that you always called me at Hogwarts? A filthy little Mudblood!"

Draco's eyes widened in anger. "You're seriously going to bring that up! I can't believe you, Hermione!" He sighed again and ran his hand through his hair, breathing deeply and trying to calm down. "Look, I'm going to go for a run. I just…I need to get out for a bit." He transfigured his clothes into running shorts and a shirt and nodded to Hermione as he walked out.

Draco quickly walked to a nearby park and briefly stretched before taking off in a brisk jog. A number of thoughts ran though his head and running was the only way to deal with them. Draco always found that it was easier to think after a good run.

He cared about Hermione and he hated seeing her go through what she was going through. He was trying to save her from the same downward spiral of depression that he had gone through. It frustrated him when she took a step forward and three steps back. And that's all it seemed she did.

Draco knew that lunch with his mother would help. His mother had a knack for giving advice and comforting people. Hermione seemed different, in a good way, after the lunch, and even more so after seeing the heart in the box. When Draco first told his mother about Hermione, after the first meal they shared together, Narcissa was the one who likened Hermione's experience to Draco's. He knew that his mother would hate to see another person like that, especially one who was so close in age to Draco. Even though he and Hermione were completely different, he knew that his mother remembered that Hermione was in the same year as he. He also knew that she remembered what happened in their house during the war, when Hermione was tortured before their very eyes.

The war changed him and his family. It affected him strongly. It seemed as if everything he knew to be right was actually wrong. He was so lost after the war. He didn't know what to do. The only thing he knew was to run away and forget it all.

When he was attending university, there were moments when he would suddenly miss the wizarding world. There were still moments when he didn't know how Muggles lived without magic. There were even moments when Draco longed to go back to the wizarding world, but once he stepped foot in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, he was immediately reminded of the person he used to be, the sixteen-year-old kid who cast Unforgivable curses and tried to kill the beloved headmaster of his old school.

Thoughts like these ran through Draco's head all the time. It kept him grounded, it reminded him of who he was. More importantly, it helped him focus on his work and why he diligently gave up his life to save others—Muggles, in particular. He enjoyed it. And he loved working at the hospital. He loved doing things the hard way and figuring out solutions to problems, especially when it helped save lives. It was what kept him going, at least until Hermione came back into his life.

He was so used to having Hermione around that he could barely remember a time before they were friends. Of course, he remembered their Hogwarts years, but it was so long ago that it almost seemed like a dream. He was irritated with her at the moment, but not angry at her. And even his irritation seemed to be waning a bit with each step he took as he ran. Maybe they could talk it out when he returned home.

Draco saw Hermione in a whole new light, and not just because of what she's going through.

He couldn't deny it: he was falling in love with her.

He loved the way she looked when she was reading a book. The way her eyebrows furrowed and she chewed on her bottom lip. The way she would always go back and read the last few pages just so she could fully understand what she was reading. He loved the way they debated different topics, how they managed to disagree on something, but still found some common ground between the two.

She lit up his life in many ways and he couldn't think of anything better.

Except, maybe, to actually tell her.

But Draco quickly brushed that thought away. There was no way he was going to tell her. He didn't think Hermione felt the same way. And he was way too much of a coward to tell her how he felt.

Draco slowed down as he headed back toward his flat. He walked back to his building and ran up the stairs, eager to see Hermione again. He unlocked and opened the door, calling her name.

"Hermione?" Draco looked around, feeling an eerie sense in the room.

Something was different.

"Hermione?" he called again. "I'm sorry for yelling at you." He checked the kitchen and saw no one there. "Where are you?"

Draco headed toward the library and threw open the door, intending to surprise her, but that room was empty, too. He turned toward his bedroom and guessed that Hermione was probably napping.

He quietly opened the door and flipped the lights on. Draco glanced around his bedroom and his heart sank.

All her things were gone.

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><p>A little more insight into how Draco feels about Hermione and a little bit of a heartbreaking end. Hey, it couldn't be all smooth sailing for these two, right?<p>

Please let me know what you think! I'd love to hear from you!


	15. Chapter 15

I truly cannot express the gratitude I feel whenever I read your wonderful reviews! Thank you so much!

Here's the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy it!

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><p>It had been a week since Hermione left Draco and returned to work. She'd been vigorously working hard ever since. She was the first one to arrive on her floor and the last one to leave. No one ever saw her unless they physically went to her office to speak with her or they saw her in passing in the morning or the evening. She didn't speak to anyone and she ate her lunch in her office with the door closed.<p>

She missed Draco terribly. She hated herself for leaving things the way they did, but she didn't want to face Draco if he didn't want to see her. She hadn't heard from him all week and she was afraid to go to the hospital to see him. Likewise, he steered clear of the Ministry, not that he was ever a fixture there, and Hermione didn't venture out of her office in the event that he happened to be around.

Hermione caught up on all the work that she had missed in just a few days and soon she found herself sitting at her desk with nothing to do since she was waiting on word from other departments. She still sat with her door closed and often took out the books that she had borrowed from Draco to just sit and stare at them. She didn't read them—they reminded her of him too much, but she didn't hide them either.

She spent a lot of time thinking about the things that Draco had said and she knew he was right. It was time for her to accept and move on from her parents' death. It was time for her to visit her parents' grave. It was time for her to tell her friends what happened.

But since she left things so bad with them, she didn't much fancy seeing Ginny, either. Harry, Hermione figured, would probably be most accepting of her, but there was still something holding her back.

A loud knocking pounded on her door, tearing Hermione away from her thoughts. She quickly put the books away and called for whoever was at the door to come in.

"Pansy?" she asked, surprised, when the dark-haired woman entered her office. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you. I'm worried about you. Blaise went to see Draco yesterday and he said he's not doing too well."

"Oh, I'm sure Draco is just fine."

"He's not. He misses you."

Hermione froze. "Did he say that?"

"Well, I don't think so, but he didn't have to say that. If Blaise could pick up on it—"

"Blaise was probably incorrect. I haven't even heard from Draco in a week."

"And he hasn't heard from you in a week. It's a two-way street, Hermione," Pansy said gently. She took a seat in front of Hermione's desk. "What happened, anyway?"

Hermione's mind flashed to the scene in his apartment. She remembered him yelling at her, telling her hurtful, yet truthful things. She felt embarrassed, remembering how she threw that 'Mudblood' word back at him.

"We got into a huge row."

"So? Go and make up."

"It's not that easy."

"What happened?" Pansy repeated.

Hermione didn't know what it was, but she suddenly felt the need to spill everything out to Pansy. She told Pansy about her parents and the circumstances of their death and why she pushed her friends away. She told Pansy how Draco was the only one who helped her feel better or more at ease afterward. She told her about Draco bringing Hermione to her parents' grave and everything that was said in the fight they had at his apartment. Pansy listened to every word and didn't interrupt her, but she nearly sobbed throughout the entire story.

"And then he left…he said he was going for a run, so I got all my stuff out of there as soon as I could before he came back and told me to leave."

"What if he wasn't going to tell you to leave?"

"What if he was?"

Pansy bit her lip, unsure at how to continue. "Hermione…I'm really sorry about what happened to your parents. But, I am glad that it is what brought you and Draco together. I've never seen Draco this happy before."

"He's not happy with me."

"He is. Inside, he is. He looks at peace with himself. And I don't remember ever seeing him like that. He's going to kill me if I told you this, but remember in fourth year, when Rita Skeeter was around, hustling for stories about you and Harry?"

Hermione nodded, confused.

"Well, I told Rita a lot of things about you that were untrue, which I am sorry about, by the way—"

"It's all in the past."

"Yes, well I did that because I was jealous of you and Draco."

"Draco and I hated each other at Hogwarts."

"Well, yes, but I would say that Draco's always had a soft spot for you. That's why I hated you—because I wished Draco would pay attention to me like that. I noticed it most in fourth year, after the Yule Ball. He couldn't stop talking about you in that dress and how smart you are and how you were probably the one behind Potter's success in the tournament."

"I suppose you're going to tell me that Draco's harbored some secret crush on me all these years?"

Pansy smiled. "No, maybe back then, but he got over it, I'm sure. At some point, I think he did love Astoria, but then again, who knows. He never seemed happy with her, though. He seems happier just being friends with you—not that I think it should stay that way! I'm telling you this because I've known Draco for a long time. And ever since we were kids, you've always had some sort of effect on him, whether it is good or bad. And now, I'm sure it's a good one. In fact, I know it's a good one. Again, I've never seen him look so…peaceful. Especially after the war. The war really tore him apart inside, you know." Pansy put her hand over Hermione's. "Why did you tell me this?" she asked, suddenly changing the subject. "All of this about your parents? I'm glad you did, but I'm just curious."

"I'm not sure," Hermione answered. "I just…I felt like I had to."

Pansy smiled. "Maybe you're finally accepting it. Maybe you're finally forgiving yourself for it. And Draco helped you along the way, didn't he?"

Hermione shrugged. "I guess."

"Can I ask you something, Hermione?"

Hermione nodded. "I suppose so."

"Are you in love with Draco?"

Hermione's face reddened. "What gives you that idea?"

"The way you talk about him. The way the two of you just seemed to fit well with one another when you both came over for dinner. The way you looked at him that night. You guys moved as if you were, I dunno, connected, I guess. He shifted one way, you would shift another. Not that you copied each other, but it was like you two were pieces to a puzzle that fit perfectly with one another. And the way you're acting now."

Hermione shook his head. "I'm not in love with him."

"Are you really?"

Hermione nodded, but thought about him. She really missed him. She missed the way he teased her, the way he argued with her, the way they debated with one another, the way he tried to teach her how to cook. She missed the looks he gave her when he thought she wasn't looking. She missed sitting on the couch and either watching a movie or reading a book next to him. She missed all of their long conversations about anything and everything.

"Oh…Merlin…" She looked at Pansy with wide eyes. "I'm in love with Draco. I miss him. I want him."

"Then go after him. Tell him."

"He's probably at work."

"He is at work."

"I can't bother him at work."

"Yes, you can."

"I'm at work!"

"So? You're not even doing work! You're sitting here thinking about Draco!"

Hermione didn't say anything, earning a triumphant grin from Pansy.

"Go, tell him," she prodded. "Before it's too late, go tell him. Apologize to him."

Hermione stood up and reached for her jacket. Pansy stood up, clapping her hands. She squealed loudly. Hermione stopped halfway toward her jacket. "What if he doesn't feel the same?"

"What if he does?" Pansy asked, saying the same words that Hermione used earlier.

Hermione bit her lip. "I'm scared."

Pansy snorted and threw up her hands. "Aren't you a Gryffindor? I thought they weren't afraid of anything."

Hermione opened her mouth, but didn't say anything. She reached for the door, but it opened before she even put her hand on the doorknob.

"Hermione?" asked Harry, uncertainly. He held up a manila folder. "Can you look over these, please?" He looked at Pansy in surprise. "Parkinson," Harry said, nodding his head.

"It's actually Zabini now, but hello to you, too, Potter." Pansy headed for the door and squeezed Hermione's arm before she walked out. "Listen to what I said, okay, Hermione? I know you'll do the right thing in the end. That's another thing you damn Gryffindors do, too." She walked out of Hermione's office, closing the door behind her.

"You're friends with Parkinson now?" Harry said in a strange voice.

Hermione nodded, deep in thought. She stood in front of her desk and leaned back, putting her face in her hands. "She just helped me realize something." She looked up and threw her arms around Harry and gave him a long hug. "I've been a horrible friend to you, Harry. And I really don't deserve you. But I have to tell you something. Why…why I've been like this." Hermione stood across from Harry, not moving from their spots in the middle of her office. "My parents died."

"What!"

"In a car accident," she continued. "A few months ago. Actually, a bit longer than that. And Draco's a doctor at a Muggle hospital and he was the one who tried to bring them back. He tried to save my mother, but she had too many injuries. Then he saved my father a bunch of times, but…it was his wish to not stay on life support…so he was there for me when—when I took my father off of the machine. He was the only one I could talk to—about anything, about everything. He understood, he didn't judge me and he never gave me his opinion unless I asked for it. He was patient and kind and—and I think I took it all for granted. I'm a horrible person, Harry."

Harry looked taken aback by the flood of information Hermione just threw at him. "Um…you're not a horrible person, Hermione. And…your parents? Why didn't you just tell us?" He gave Hermione a long hug. "I'm sorry you had to go through that alone."

"I wasn't alone. I had Draco!"

"Oh yes, Draco…well…where is he now?"

"That's the whole thing, I—I, me and him…he—he…I don't think he'll ever speak to me again, Harry." Tears filled her eyes.

"Why?" Harry looked concerned.

"I…I made a big fool of myself." She proceeded to tell Harry about their row and the contents of what she had yelled at him.

Harry nodded. "Yes, well, Malfoy is a changed man, I've heard. It probably hurt him more that you threw that in his face. You know, I looked him up after I saw him in your office that one time. He was top of his class at university and medical school. And he scored the highest on his medical exams and his intern test. He also got a perfect 100 on his Muggle driving test and his credit score is impeccable. No problems with Muggle law or anything, too. Not even a traffic ticket." Harry smiled sheepishly. "I just wanted to make sure that you were going to be safe with him."

"I'm in love with him, Harry."

Harry nodded slowly. "I figured. I won't tell Ron."

"And please don't tell Ginny. Any of it. I'll tell her, I promise."

"All right, I won't tell Ginny. But you have to tell her." Harry rubbed his chin. "So what are you going to do about Malfoy?"

"You actually approve, Harry?"

"I'm not going to say that I necessarily like it, but…if he makes you happy, then…" Harry trailed off and shrugged. "The only time that I saw you alive was whenever he was around. He brought the life back to your eyes, the animation in your face, the joy in your voice. I don't necessarily like the guy, but I do respect him. And he did bring you to Ginny's baby shower after I asked him to."

"But you're Ron's best friend."

"I'm also your best friend. I want to see you happy, Hermione, and if Malfoy makes you happy…have you told him?"

"No. I've just realized how much I'm in love with him when Pansy was here."

"Are you going to?"

"I'm having trouble deciding."

"I think you should tell him. Don't miss out on the chance to be happy, Hermione. If anyone deserves to be happy, it's you. You've taken care of me, of Ron, for so long. It's time you take care of yourself. If you love him, and I can see you do, you should tell him. Apologize to him, grovel at his feet, whatever. He makes you happy and I could see that. He completes you...as much as I hate to say it. Go," he said. "Go after him. I'll cover for you."

"Now?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. Go. Now."

Hermione nodded and pulled on her jacket. She quickly kissed Harry's cheek and tore out of her office at a run.

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><p>And there it is! Hermione realizing how in love she is with Draco and finally telling Harry what happened! What do you all think? Please leave a review if you have the chance! I'd love to hear your thoughts!<p> 


	16. Chapter 16

Thank you again for the wonderful reviews! I do love, love, love hearing all of your thoughts on the story!

Here's the next chapter! It picks up from Draco's POV.

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><p>"You have to go home and shower, Draco," Amanda said, flipping the light switch on and off in the on-call room. "You're starting to smell."<p>

"Go to hell."

Amanda sat down on the bed and pulled the covers off of Draco. "Get up!"

"Leave me alone."

"I don't know what the hell happened with you and Hermione, but get the hell up!"

"I was on-call last night, leave me alone."

"You weren't even assigned to be on-call. You had no patients to take care of! Go home!"

"No."

"Why!"

"Never mind." Draco stood up angrily and headed for the door.

Amanda stepped in front of it. She looked as angry as Draco did. "Why?" she asked again. "Does it have to do with Hermione?"

"Don't ever say her name again."

"What did you do?"

"Leave me alone. I need to get to surgery."

"You don't have one scheduled."

"Then I'll find one."

"What happened?"

"It's none of your business."

Amanda's face softened. "I know it's none of my business," she said in a low voice. "Whatever's going on with you and her, you'll get over it and everything will be as it was. She'll be here and—"

"Shut the hell up."

Amanda looked angry. "Just say it, Malfoy."

"Say what?"

"Say that you love her and you did something to her and that's why you're acting like a complete jackass."

Draco rolled his eyes and tried to open the door, but Amanda dropped her weight against it. "Get out of my way."

"Say it."

"No."

"Because it's true. Why are you so damn stubborn to admit it?"

"Fine," Draco said. His cold, gray eyes pierced Amanda's green ones and she shivered slightly, feeling a teensy bit afraid of him. "I love her. I'm in love with her. I'm in love with Hermione Granger. But none of it matters because she's never coming back. She left and she's not coming back."

The despair in Draco's voice made Amanda feel sorry for him. She finally moved from the door and he quickly walked of the room. Amanda followed him to the nurse's desk and they both picked up the same chart. Draco pulled it from her, throwing her a dirty look. Amanda quickly let go of the chart.

"Malfoy…" she said in a soft voice. "If you need anything…"

"I don't."

Draco shut the chart angrily and tossed it onto the desk. He was about to walk away when he saw the chief of surgery heading toward the nurse's station, calling the rest of the doctors. His pager went off and he glanced at the emergency page.

"We'll need some doctors to head out to the scene. They'll need all the help they could get." Someone was already in the midst of telling the doctors and nurses what's happened. "All hands on deck!"

"What happened?" Amanda asked.

"Ferry boat accident," Dr. Keating answered. "We need to go down there and help the paramedics." He looked around and started calling out the names of different doctors to go to the accident with him. "Malfoy, you're coming. Lopez-Anderson, you'll stay and be in charge of the pit."

Draco nodded and he quickly followed Keating and the other doctors toward the ER. He grabbed his bag of supplies and squeezed into the back of an ambulance with the others.

Amanda followed them out to the ambulance zone before she started directing the interns on where to go and what to do. She tried clearing out as many beds and rooms as she could in order to prepare for the incoming patients. She kept an eye glued to the news, listening for any reports on what happened.

"Amanda?"

A familiar voice broke her concentration, but she couldn't quite place it. She turned in an irritated manner, but looked surprised at who she saw.

"Hermione? What are you doing here?"

"Where is he?" she asked.

"He went out," Amanda answered, instantly knowing who she was talking about. "There was a ferry accident and a bunch of the doctors had to go out on to the scene."

"Where?"

"You can't go out there, Hermione, it's too dangerous!"

"Maybe I could help."

"You're not trained for it, you'll just get in the way. Just wait here, Malfoy'll be back soon. He'll kill me if he knew I sent you out there."

"Where?"

"I'm not telling you, Hermione!"

At that precise moment, the news returned from its commercial break and gave the location of the ferry boat accident. Amanda looked around for Hermione and dread filled her body.

"Hermione!" she yelled at Hermione's back. "Don't go!" She was about to run after Hermione, but her pager beeped. Amanda groaned in frustration and snapped at the nearest nurse, "Page Malfoy!"

Hermione heard Amanda calling after her, but she ignored it. Once she got the location of the accident, Hermione intended to Apparate there. She felt like she was losing her mind. She would never do something like this. She was always so level-headed and calm, but something made her want to be spontaneous for once. And something told her that she had to tell Draco she loved him before it was too late.

She Apparated into the staircase of a car garage near the site of the ferry accident and quickly ran out. Chaos was all around her. People milled around, crying or yelling out. Police, firefighters, paramedics, and doctors looked to be running around like chickens. Hermione stood in one place and her eyes swept the scene, keeping an eye out for that white-blonde hair that she had come to love.

It was off to a quieter side of the dock, a place where not many people seemed to be running off to. Hermione hurried in that direction and tuned everyone and everything out.

"Draco!" she called. "Draco!"

Draco looked up from where he was. Evidently, he was going further into the damaged dock.

"Hermione?" he said, surprised. "What are you doing here?" he yelled in anger. "Stand back, it's not safe!" He heard a groaning sound and quickly moved all the debris out of the way. "Hermione, get some help! There's someone down here!" Draco used his radio to call for help, but felt some relief at Hermione heading away.

What was she even doing there? He was angry with her, angry that she shut down on him and left, but seeing her again brought back all the wonderful feelings she stirred in him. He wanted to run up from the dock and envelope Hermione in his arms and kiss her like there was no tomorrow.

But he had a job to do.

Draco continued to move debris out of the way and was even more careful when he saw that the victim at the bottom looked to be pregnant. He spoke into his radio again, urging for help to arrive as soon as possible.

"Draco!"

Hermione's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Stand back, Hermione!"

"I've brought help!"

Draco looked at her and saw two paramedics running with her. Hermione was holding a little girl's hand.

"She can't find her mum, I'm going to help look for her!"

Draco nodded and watched as Hermione ran off, hand-in-hand with the little girl. He stepped back, allowing for the paramedics to climb down and they immediately got to work. Draco directed them on what to do and how he found her. The dock shifted because of the damage to its foundation and the three of them temporarily lost balance. Draco quickly looked up to see if Hermione was okay, but couldn't see her or the little girl anywhere. He stepped forward and sideways, trying to find her, shifting the dock with his slight movements.

"Dr. Malfoy, you have to stop," one of the paramedics said. "If you keep moving, all of us will tip over into the water."

"But, where is she? Hermione, she—"

"Maybe she's found the little girl's mother," said the first paramedic.

"And we're working as fast as we can, sir," said the second.

"Well, work faster." Draco bent down, trying to hurry them up, and as soon as the pregnant woman was secure, Draco ran down the unsteady dock, trying to spot Hermione. He saw the little girl standing further down. She was facing the ocean and had her thumb in her mouth.

"Hi," Draco said, kneeling down in front of her. "That woman you were with, Hermione? Where did she go?" he asked conversationally.

The little girl stared blankly at him.

"Do you know where the nice lady went? The one who tried to help find your mum?" He tried to keep the urgency from his voice, hoping the little girl would respond to him.

The little girl raised her arm and pointed toward the ocean. Draco stared at the water helplessly. He couldn't see a sign of her anywhere. Draco looked around and yelled for the nearest paramedic. He gestured frantically toward the girl. "Take care of her! Someone's out there!" Draco pulled off his jacket and jumped into the ocean.

"Where are you?" he wondered, feeling his lungs burn from the lack of oxygen. His eyes stung in the murky water and he blinked repeatedly, trying to keep them open. He swam further down and further in and finally saw Hermione's lifeless body floating in front of him. He quickly swam to her, damning himself for forgetting to bring his wand with him. A Bubble-Head Charm would prove most useful now.

Draco wrapped his arms around Hermione's petite body and began to swim upward, but couldn't. He quickly let go of Hermione's body and saw that her pants were caught on the wood from the bottom of the dock. He tried to pull her from it, but she was stuck too tight. Draco fumed, clenching his teeth together, before calmly sliding her jeans from the wood. He swam as fast as he could to the shore and his mind briefly went back to his fourth year at Hogwarts, during the second task, when the champions were forced to do something like this. Hermione had been a part of that as well, but she was well taken care of then.

"And she'll be well taken care of now," Draco thought determinedly.

They reached the edge of the water and Draco swam toward the dock. Only a few ambulances remained and he half-heartedly tried to yell out to them. His lungs and eyes were burning and he was struggling to hold on to Hermione.

"We've got her, Malfoy," Anderson's voice said, pulling him to a secure area of the dock. "Let go, we've got her."

Someone pried Hermione's lifeless body from Draco's arms and he only saw darkness as he succumbed to unconsciousness. He awoke, hearing a familiar beeping sound and feeling the warmth of electric blankets over him. Draco groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He saw Anderson sitting next to him in the ambulance, looking tired, but alert.

Draco sat up suddenly. A pounding feeling rushed to his head and he felt dizzy. "Where is she?" he asked urgently, closing his eyes briefly. "Where's Hermione?"

"Her ambulance left before ours," Anderson answered. He checked his watch. "She should be arriving at the hospital now."

"How far are we?"

"Two minutes, Malfoy. And calm down, will you? I have to check your vitals."

"Well, hurry up, then," he snapped. "I feel fine."

"I still have to check you out."

"I'd rather know how she's doing."

"We're almost there, you'll find out soon enough. Anderson pushed Draco back, so he was lying down, but Draco pushed a button to his side, so the bed allowed for him to sit up.

As soon as the ambulance stopped and the paramedic from the front opened the back doors, Draco jumped off the bed, pulled the wires from him, jumped off the ambulance, and ran into the emergency room, ignoring Anderson's calls behind him. He rushed to the nurse's desk.

"Where is she?" he asked urgently. "She should've came in right before me. Hermione Granger, found in the water."

The nurse nodded and pointed to a room. "They just put her in there. Dr. Lopez-Anderson is attending to her now."

Draco nodded and immediately barged into the room. Amanda snapped her head up.

"Get out, Malfoy!"

"How is she?"

"Get out! If you want me to save her, go!"

Draco didn't listen to her. Instead, his eyes swept over Hermione's pale and lifeless body. He took in her blue lips and limp hair and tried to read the machines that surrounded her as fast as he could.

"Malfoy, OUT!" Amanda yelled.

"Come on, Dr. Malfoy," a kinder voice said. An intern on Amanda's staff gently took Draco's arm and directed him into the hallway.

"What's her prognosis, Bender?" he demanded. "What happened?"

"Her body temperature is too low. She's hypothermic, so we're trying to raise the temp. The paramedics said they've already performed CPR on her, but she wasn't responding…she's still not responding."

Draco felt his heart sink and he tried to move around the intern. The intern bravely stepped in Draco's way. "I'm not letting you in there, Dr. Malfoy!"

Draco glared at the younger doctor. He narrowed his eyes and curled his lips in a sneer, in what he remembered to be his most intimidating glare during his Hogwarts days. The effects seemed to work—Bender shrank back against the door, but her gaze never faltered. Instead, the short doctor seemed to stand taller.

"You're not going in there, Dr. Malfoy!" she said firmly, but her eyes betrayed her.

"You've been charged with babysitting me?"

"No, just making sure you don't go anywhere near that room."

"Like hell I won't." Draco gently pushed Bender from his way and barged in again.

Amanda looked up, annoyed. "Malfoy, get out! You can't be in here!" She looked around. "Somebody get him out of here!"

"Sorry, Dr. Lopez-Anderson!" Bender cried. "He got around me!"

"Get him out!"

Bender and another intern guided Draco out of the room. They stayed with him in the hallway and blocked the door, standing side-by-side with their arms crossed. Draco stopped trying to push around them and settled for staring into the window. Tears gathered in his eyes, but he scrunched his face up so they wouldn't slip down his cheeks.

"One of you, get Dr. Scott Greene from Psych." Anderson's voice boomed as he grew nearer to them. "Tell him to hurry—it's Malfoy. Tell him what's happened to Malfoy's girl—um…his friend."

Draco didn't turn from the window, nor did he acknowledge Anderson's presence next to him. Anderson directed the other intern back into the room and to keep him updated on the progress. He stood next to Draco and stared into the room with him.

"You know Amanda's the best, probably after you," Anderson said. "She's going to try her best. She won't let you down."

Draco didn't say anything in response. Anderson's words just choked him up even more. They stood in front of the window and just stared into the room. Anderson didn't say anything more—he knew that there were no words that could offer up any comfort or sympathy.

About twenty minutes later, someone quietly approached them. The new arrival placed a hand on Anderson's shoulder and nodded him away. Anderson had seen this guy before, he knew that Draco was friends with him, so he quickly left Draco's side and headed into the hospital room to help his wife.

Blaise placed a hand on Draco's shoulder. "I'm sorry, mate," he said softly. "Scott Greene Flooed me. I came as soon as I could."

Draco nodded, but didn't say anything. His breath hitched in his throat and tears blurred his eyes. Blaise squeezed his shoulder.

"I love her," Draco confessed, his voice breaking. It dropped to a whisper. "I love her."

"I know," replied Blaise quietly. "I know you do." He put his arms around Draco, giving him a comforting hug. At first, Draco was reluctant, but he allowed Blaise to hug him and hugged him back.

An intern suddenly opened the door and ran down the hall. Draco broke down even more, hearing the flatline from the machines. He pushed Blaise away and ran into the room.

"HERMIONE!"

Amanda snapped her head up. "Get out, Malfoy!" She took the paddles and pressed them to Hermione's chest. "Charge." She looked around. "Clear."

Nothing happened.

Draco cried out and took a step closer. "SAVE HER!"

"I'm trying, Malfoy!" She pressed the paddle to Hermione's chest again and charged.

Nothing happened.

"Save her," Draco cried weakly. "Please, Amanda…save her."

Amanda nodded at Draco. Tears slowly gathered in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away. She charged the paddles again, but nothing happened. She shook her head sadly. "It's too late…she hasn't responded."

"Time of death—" started Anderson.

"NOOO!" Draco yelled, running to Hermione's side. He picked up her cold hands and rubbed it against his cheeks. "Again, Amanda," he said. Tears rolled down his cheeks, splashing onto her arm. "Do it again."

"Draco, there's—"

"AGAIN!"

Amanda sighed and nodded to the nurse at the crash trolley. "Clear." Draco let go of Hermione's hands and leaned back. He held his breath and took her hands again after Amanda set the paddles down.

Everyone waited, holding their breaths, and stared at the machine.

Slowly, a heartbeat appeared on the monitors. It beeped steadily, though it looked weak.

Draco sighed in relief and threw his body over Hermione's. It was still cooler than normal, but it felt warmer than it did just seconds ago. He kissed her cheeks, twice on both sides, and held onto her hands until Amanda gently pushed him away.

"I have to take her vitals, then move her into another room." She looked back at Blaise, who stood in the doorway and nodded for him to come in.

Blaise pushed a chair behind Draco and moved him into it. Draco took Hermione's hand and tapped his foot, impatiently waiting for Amanda to complete her examination.

"Done yet, LA?" he asked softly.

"Almost," she answered. A few moments later, she told Draco that she was finished and two nurses prepared to push Hermione's bed from the room. They told him where they were sending her and said he could walk behind them as they moved her.

"Thank you for coming, Blaise," Draco said gratefully, rising from his seat. He gave Blaise a hug.

"Of course. She's my friend, too."

"I never thought I'd feel like this about her."

Blaise smirked as they followed the nurses to a private room. "I know." The nurses moved Hermione onto the bed, taking care to not tangle the cords. They spoke quietly, but moved quickly, and were very gentle with her.

Draco sighed and sat down on the bed. He leaned over her, so he was less than an inch away from her face. He tenderly ran his fingers through her hair and slowly kissed her cold lips.

"I love you," he whispered. "Please come back."

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><p>And there's the end of that chapter! Draco finally reveals how he feels to Blaise...even though it's been pretty obvious! This storyline came from Grey's Anatomy also, and it was suggested by <strong>TempeAvril<strong>. I knew I wanted to include the ferry crash and have Draco somehow save Hermione and here we have it. I hope you all don't hate me too much for delaying their reunion!

Please review and let me know what you think if you have the chance!


	17. Chapter 17

Wow, thanks so much for all the reviews! I really appreciate all of them and I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

Here's the next chapter. I decided to hurry up and post it since it's fairly short and I finished with it early. It picks up from Hermione's POV, when the little girl meets up with Hermione.

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><p>"My mum! I don't know where my mum is!"<p>

A little girl tugged at Hermione's jacket after Hermione alerted two paramedics to Draco's location. Hermione looked helplessly in Draco's direction before taking the girl's hand.

"I'll help you," she said. "Don't worry. We'll find your mum." She looked down at the little girl, who started to gather tears in her eyes. Hermione gave her a tight hug. "We'll find your mum," she repeated.

The little girl whimpered, suddenly shy in Hermione's presence. Hermione glanced down and saw a wet stain pooling around the little girl's jeans.

"Did you have an accident?" Hermione said in a kind voice. "That's all right, okay? You'll be fine and we'll find your mum."

Hermione dragged the little girl with her and yelled to Draco that she was going to help find the little girl's mother. She held on to the little girl's hand tightly as they walked further down the dock, where it was so unsteady that every step shook the wood relentlessly. Hermione figured the ferry boat must have hit the foundation of the dock, causing it to be so shaky above shore.

"Be careful, all right?" Hermione warned the little girl. She kept her eyes peeled around her, trying to hear or see if there was a woman looking for her daughter.

In the midst of their search, they came across a man going in and out of consciousness, coughing up blood and holding his stomach. He was lying on the dock, close to the edge, so if he rolled over, he would fall into the water. Hermione immediately dropped to her knees and pulled her own jacket off of herself. In order to keep an eye on the little girl, she knelt between the man and the edge of the dock. She instructed the little girl to stay back, far from the edge, and Hermione placed two hands on the man's stomach, applying pressure to his wound. He had started to bleed through his shirt. Hermione glanced up to give the little girl a reassuring smile and as she did, the man suddenly spasmed, accidentally sending Hermione into the watery grave.

Hermione flailed her arms around and tried to remember her brief swimming lessons from when she was seven years old. It wasn't something one could learn from books, therefore, Hermione wasn't very good at it. She held her breath, hoping it would bring her to shore, and felt around her clothes for her wand before remembering she had left it on her desk at work. In her haste to tell Draco how she felt, Hermione had forgotten to pick it up.

She kicked her legs, trying to gain some momentum, but her jeans grew heavier, pulling her down. Hermione's lungs burned and she longed to take a breath of air and didn't even care if it was fresh or not. She couldn't hold on and inhaled, feeling the pressure in her lungs slightly subside, but felt the pressure in her nose from the water rushing into her body. She tried to hold her breath again, but it wouldn't work and she coughed to expel the water from her body before remembering she was underwater. She grabbed hold of a piece of wood that had been a part of the dock's foundation and tried to kick off another piece of wood. Instead, her pants caught on to the wood and Hermione reached down trying to frantically pull her leg from the wood. She felt a sudden pain in her leg and knew that she received some sort of gash from her trying to pull her leg from being caught in the piece of wood.

Hermione kept trying to pull her leg free, but it wouldn't work. And the pounding in Hermione's head grew more and more intense. The pressure was too much for Hermione's lungs to handle and finally and reluctantly, she closed her eyes, seeing Draco's face before her own.

"I love you," she said in her mind, hoping that he would somehow get that message. He had given her the best months of her life and she didn't even know it. She didn't even realize it. And now she wasn't going to be able to enjoy anything more with him.

This was a harder truth to accept.

Hermione inhaled one last time, thinking about smelling trees and flowers, and spending that evening in Kensington Gardens with Draco, before succumbing to the darkness that engulfed her.

She awoke, in what she thought was seconds later, sitting up in a park bench. She felt the cold bench beneath her bottom and once she thought of it, it turned warm. Hermione looked around and thought she was sitting in Kensington Gardens.

The sun was setting—it was her favorite time of day.

She sat for what seemed like hours. It felt as if time didn't move here. The sun didn't move from it's lowering position in the sky and everything around her was still and peaceful.

Books littered the grass around her and Hermione took her time carefully reading each one. She didn't remember any of the titles or even the content, but she read it all just the same.

After a long time, Hermione stood up and stretched her legs. She sat down on the grass and leaned back, lying on a flower bed. Hermione picked a gardenia and brought it to her nose. She took a whiff of it and let it go, watching it fly away in the warm breeze.

"Why hello there, darling."

Hermione quickly sat up and spun around. "Mm…mum? Dad?"

Her parents were sitting on the park bench and each wore an equally big grin on their faces. Hermione's mother stood up and opened her arms. Hermione stood up and slowly walked toward her mother, moving faster until she wrapped her arms around the woman she loved so much. After a long time, she let go of her mother and wrapped her arms around her father, feeling tears gather in her eyes.

"What…why…" Hermione looked at her father and pulled back. "Am I dead?"

Her father smiled sadly. "I suppose it depends on how you look at it. Are you breathing right now? Are you awake? Is this real?"

Hermione looked confused. "I've missed you so much," she said, ignoring her father's questions. She wrapped her arms around her parents again. Tears filled her eyes again. "I'm…I'm so sorry," she cried, dropping her voice. "I didn't—I didn't mean any of it…I just…I wanted to show you…I never wanted either of you to die. I wish—I wish it never happened."

She felt a hand run through her hair. Hermione looked up into her mother's eyes. She kissed Hermione's forehead. "It was never your fault, baby," she said softly. "I never blamed you. I know the magical world is…it's just that—it's magic. And I know it is a part of you. I suppose there was a part of me that was a bit jealous of you. Everything you said about that world…it was magic. And that night…it was an accident. A complete accident. It was never your fault."

"But—but—but I pushed you," Hermione protested. "I…if I didn't do that, you—"

"Things play out the way they are supposed to play out," Hermione's father gently said. He placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder and squeezed it. He took his wife's hand. "It was never your fault," he said, repeating his wife's earlier words.

Tears streamed down Hermione's face. "I never wanted you to die. I never wanted you to leave me. Either of you."

"We never want the people we love to leave us," Hermione's mother said. "But we never leave. We're always with you, Hermione. Always."

Hermione's father wrapped his arms around her again. "And you have to forgive yourself. Accept what's happened and move on. You deserve peace, love, and happiness in your life, Hermione."

"Draco seems like a lovely man," her mother said with a smile. "A much changed person from the boy you described to us."

"I suppose he'll do," her father grunted.

Hermione's mother tossed him an annoyed glance. "He makes you happy. More happier than ever before. I see it in your eyes."

"How do you know?" Hermione asked in a whisper.

"We're always watching, Hermione. We're always with you." She smiled at her daughter again and took her hand. She brought it to her lips and kissed it. "He matches you. More than…anyone has in the past. He cares about what you think, how you feel, and he loves you. I can see that, too."

Hermione shook her head sadly. "He doesn't. We're just friends."

"And that's how the best relationships begin, isn't it?" Hermione's mother grinned at her husband, who put an arm around her shoulders.

"I've always wanted to have a relationship like yours, Mum. Dad. I was beginning to think that I would never find one." She shook her head again. "Draco and I didn't start as friends. We hated each other."

"But you're friends now. You've both grown and learned from the past. You've became friends, then best friends, and now…you two are in love with one another."

Hermione's dad kissed her temple. "I wish we were there with you, but it's been such a joy to watch you fall in love from afar." He blinked away his tears. "And I love you, Hermione. I know you'll trust your instincts and you'll find your way."

"I hate feeling how I've felt these past few months. Ever since you…ever since you died."

"I know you do. But…I hate to say it, but, he does make you happy. He has helped you." He cupped her face. "The whole thing, the accident—it's not your fault. None of it is. Be happy, Hermione. Just allow yourself that. And only then will you find peace."

"We love you, Hermione," her mother said. "And I'm so, so sorry for that night. I'm sorry for yelling at you and for trying to take your wand away. You're a grown woman. You've fought and survived a war. You protected us and you saved your world. Magic is a part of you. I know that you know right from wrong. And I should've let you use your instincts. I should've trusted your instincts. I'm sorry." Her mother wiped away tears from her face.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Mum. I love you." Hermione threw her arms around her mother and buried her face in her shoulder. She inhaled and felt a sharp pain in her lungs. She grabbed her chest. "Mum! Dad! I—I can't breathe. It's too hard to breathe!"

"Make your choice, Hermione," her father said. "You can stay with us or—"

"You can be happy with Draco," her mother added, sniffing. She smiled at her daughter. "He makes you so alive, Hermione. It's such a joy to see."

"But I don't want to lose you again! I don't—I have so much I want to tell you, so much that I—" Hermione cried out in pain and grabbed her chest, coughing. "I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't—"

"You've never lost us, Hermione," her mother said gently. She kissed Hermione's forehead. "We're always here. We're always with you."

"Visit us, Hermione," her father said, kissing Hermione's temple again. He hugged her tightly. "Don't be afraid to visit us. We'd love to have you."

Hermione shook her head. "No—no—no, I don't—" She clutched her chest and started to drop to her knees. "I can't breathe…"

"Go back, Hermione," her mother said. "It's not your time, yet."

"Go be happy." Her father pulled Hermione to her feet. He kissed her again. "I love you, Hermione."

"And I love you, too, Hermione."

Hermione hyperventilated, clutching her chest. "I—I love you, too." She closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing. She slowly inhaled and exhaled, trying to make the pain go away.

All of a sudden, everything went black.

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><p>Thanks for reading, everyone! Please let me know what you think and leave a review, if you have a chance!<p> 


	18. Chapter 18

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, once again! That was one of my favorite chapters to write and I loved writing that scene between Hermione and her parents.

**NazChick: **Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

**Ellen2607: **Thank you, also! Here's the update!

**hockey1: **Lol, I try! And thanks!

**viewfromafar: **Thank you so much! Of course the drama's not over yet! Ginny and Ron are still important to Hermione and she needs to make up with them. Good luck in your uni readings, too!

**Animeloverly31: **Thank you so much! I'm a big fan of Draco, too! And I also think Hermione is a good match for him. She'd keep him on his toes and vice versa.

**UltravioletPinkRanger: **Thank you!

**KraZiiePyrozHavemoreFun: **Thanks for reading!

**KodeV**: Thank you so much! It is what Hermione needed.

**Mari916: **Thanks! Here's more!

**ryu_crisis: **Aw, thanks!

**Rephiamlove: **Oh, wow, thank you so much! From the start, I always wanted to have something with Hermione and her parents, so I thought it would be something good like this.

**Happy Snow: **Aw, can't let her die without reuniting her with Draco! =D

**nature love 95: **Thank you so much!

Here's the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy!

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><p>Hermione struggled to move, but felt like she was frozen in cement. She tried moving her arms and legs, but they felt like they weighed a ton. Hermione fluttered her eyes open and looked around in fear.<p>

She half-expected her mum and dad to be sitting beside her, still at Kensington Gardens.

Machines beeped around her. A low, dim light was the only thing that lit the room.

Hermione tried to say something, but her throat was so dry that it came out as a gurgle. She felt a weight move somewhere on her midsection. Hermione squinted, trying to see through the dim light. She moaned, trying to quell the pounding in her head.

Her heart leapt when she noticed the familiar blonde hair in front of her. She tried to pull her hands up, but found that Draco was tightly holding onto one of them. Hermione smiled and used her free hand to stroke his head.

He looked up in disbelief. His hair hung limp on his head. His skin looked paler than ever. His eyes were bloodshot and dark bags surrounded them.

"Hermione?" he said, incredulously. He didn't let go of her hand as he stood up from his seat and sat on the bed, facing her. He finally let her hand go and he wrapped his arms around her. He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. Draco cupped her face and his gray eyes pierced her brown ones. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

Hermione smiled weakly. She opened her mouth to speak, but Draco raised an index finger to her mouth.

He shook his head. "Don't try to talk." He hugged her tightly and gave her a kiss on the forehead. He leaned closer to her so that his face was inches from hers. "I have to tell you something, Hermione. I lo—"

"Well, thanks for telling me that Hermione's awake, Malfoy," Amanda drawled, opening the door and turning the light on. Draco spun around and threw her a dirty look and Amanda even had the gall to look sorry. "Um…when did she wake up?"

"A few minutes ago. I was going to call you, but…obviously, I didn't."

"Obviously," Amanda said curtly. She approached Hermione's bed and glared at Draco. "If I'm going to examine her, I'll need some space."

Draco rolled his eyes and gave Hermione another kiss on the forehead. He slid off of the bed and poured some water for Hermione as Amanda began her examination. Before Amanda could start asking Hermione questions, Draco put a straw into the cup and brought to Hermione's lips. Hermione gave him a grateful glance and cleared her throat.

"What is your name?" Amanda asked. "I just want to make sure there is no neurological damage."

Hermione cleared her throat again. "Her—Hermione Granger…" she said, weakly. Draco rubbed her arm and resumed his seat next to her bed.

"And what is his name?" Amanda pointed to Draco.

Hermione smiled at Draco and took his hand. She squeezed it. "Draco Malfoy," she said. Her voice didn't sound any stronger.

"Okay." Amanda nodded and continued asking Hermione questions. She continued examining Hermione and soon finished fifteen minutes later. Amanda glanced at Draco and nodded. "I'm done. You have a gash on your leg where it got caught on the dock and it looks like it's a bit infected. I'll get it tested—"

"Fast, LA."

"Of course. And I'd like to keep you a few more days. Your body temperature is still a bit lower than normal." Amanda smiled at Hermione. "Besides, Malfoy here is supposed to be on call and I don't think his mind'll be right if he wasn't near you 24/7."

"How…how long have I been in here?"

"Two days," Draco answered automatically. He could have even told her the number of hours and minutes if she asked.

"I'll be back," Amanda said, excusing herself from the room. "I'll be sure to keep you updated on anything."

Draco nodded. He waited until Amanda closed the door again before turning back to Hermione.

"Hey there," he said, playfully. He sat on her bed. "Move over. Room for two, right?"

Hermione smiled weakly and tried to scoot.

"Be careful, though. Especially with your leg. But don't worry. I'm a doctor," he said confidently with a wink. Draco carefully got on the bed next to Hermione and put an arm around Hermione's shoulders. The two of them were lying on the hospital bed and Draco stroked Hermione's arm. "Seriously. Don't ever scare me like that again. But I had something to tell you. Have something to tell you."

"I have something to tell you first," Hermione said slowly, resting her head against his chest. He made her feel so safe and so wanted. She wanted to come right out and tell him how much she loved him, but she felt like she had to apologize first. "I'm sorry for what I said to you. I was wrong and you were right."

"I'm sorry for yelling at you. Even though you did deserve it."

"You have free rein to yell at me whenever I deserve it. But stop interrupting me," she gently scolded. "And you don't have to apologize. I deserved it. I should've never…never brought up how you were at Hogwarts. I know you're not the same person."

"Well, you also have free rein to yell at me whenever I deserve it. And even those times that I don't deserve it."

"Everything you said," Hermione said, continuing on, "it was all true. And I should've listened to you. I just…I didn't feel ready…and I don't think I was…"

"I'm sorry I pushed you into going to your parents' grave." Draco sighed and rested his head against the pillow. "I guess I should've known by now that you'd rather deal with it on your own time."

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "In a way, I know you're right. I should've gone to see them. I should've grieved for them. And I didn't. I never…took the time to properly grieve and mourn for my parents." She took a deep breath. "I told Harry. What happened to my parents. I didn't tell him about my row with them, though."

"That's good," Draco said earnestly. He rested his chin on the top of her head wrapped his arms around her cold body. "How…how did he take it?" he asked, rubbing her arms, trying to create some heat.

"Well…" She didn't say anything, but tried to look around the room and noticed an abundance of flowers. "Where did all of these come from?"

"Pansy and Blaise. And apparently, you have quite a few friends around the hospital." Draco exhaled, blowing a few of Hermione's hairs up. "I didn't know you told Potter. I'll tell Blaise to tell him that you're in the hospital."

Hermione nodded. "I told Pansy, too," she said. "About my parents…and everything. I told her about why I left...why I…shut down."

"Promise me you won't shut down on me. Never again, Hermione."

"I promise." She turned her head so she was facing Draco. "Promise me you won't leave me."

Draco gave her a slight nod. "I promise," he said in a whisper. "I lo—"

"I saw my parents," Hermione said, cutting him off. "When I was…whatever…I saw them." She proceeded to tell Draco everything that happened, leaving out the part where she spoke to her parents about him. She wanted to tell him that she loved him, right here and right now, but she was suddenly overcome with a bout of shyness. "I'm sorry," she said again. Tears filled her eyes and she just wanted to look up and face him. "I'm sorry for what I said."

"Quite frankly, I don't give a damn about what you said, Hermione. I was more hurt that you completely shut down without a word to me and left. Promise me that you'll always talk to me. No matter what's on your mind." Draco pushed her chin towards him and used his free hand to wipe her tears away. "You'll talk to me. Okay?"

"You can't have two promises," Hermione said, trying to joke.

"Then I promise you the same," he replied in an unwavering voice.

"Okay," Hermione said. Her eyes fluttered to stay open. "Draco, I—I…"

"Shh, just go to sleep, Hermione," Draco said softly, holding her tightly in his arms. "I'll be here when you wake up."

Draco stayed with Hermione the rest of the night and ignored the numbing pain in his arm. He continued to simply just watch her until he fell asleep about a half hour later and woke up to the sound of a nurse entering the room to check on Hermione's vitals. Draco begrudgingly got up from the bed and stared blearily at the nurse, who gave him a small smile.

"I'm nearly done, Dr. Malfoy," she said. "You can go back to sleep."

Draco shook his head and yawned. "I have to do rounds. Just page me if she wakes up."

He quickly showered in the locker room and changed before running out to meet up with his attending and the other residents. He sent out a quick call to Blaise and when he returned to the rest of the group, he was a step behind everyone else, counting down the minutes until he could get back to Hermione. Everyone in the hospital seemed to be aware of Hermione and how much she means to Draco, so no one really bothered him too much. His attendings charged him with the easy tasks of filling out paperwork and charts and keeping up with the post-op patients, and for once, Draco didn't mind. The nurses kept him updated on Hermione's progress during the rare times that he left her side. He had even taken all his meals in Hermione's room, waiting for her to open her eyes.

Draco nodded at the last patient he saw as he followed the other doctors out of the room. Dr. Keating gave them a list of instructions, finishing with Draco waiting for the lab results of one patient while Amanda got ready to scrub in on one of his procedures for another patient. She shot him a gloating look, but he merely gave her a small smile and took what he needed so he could head back to Hermione's room.

Their conversation from earlier that morning replayed in his head. He kept trying to tell Hermione that he loved her, that he was in love with her, that he wanted to move the sun and stars for her, but she kept cutting him off. And then she had fallen asleep.

He quickly looked into the window of her room and saw that she was awake and seemed to be talking to someone. Draco knocked before entering and carefully opened the door with one hand, while he balanced a stack of folders in his other hand.

"Pansy! Blaise!" Draco exclaimed in surprise. "Nice to see you!" He set down the folders and hugged Blaise and gave Pansy a kiss on the cheek before dropping the folders on a table. He gave Hermione a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks for telling us she's awake, Draco!" Pansy said, narrowing her eyes at him. She tossed her straight, raven-colored hair over her shoulder.

Draco shrugged. "I was at work."

"I told Potter what happened to you, Hermione," Blaise said. "Draco texted me earlier. And he was asking me about you…and Draco for that matter."

Hermione's eyes widened and she shot an accusing glance at Pansy, who raised her hands in surrender. "I didn't say a word to Blaise, Hermione," Pansy said.

"About what?" Blaise and Draco looked at Pansy curiously.

Pansy quickly looked back at Hermione, staring hard at her friend. She shook her head, concentrating on Hermione's eyes. "I can't look at them, they'll force me to tell them everything you told me. I'm assuming you haven't said anything yet."

Hermione looked hard at Pansy, trying to figure out what she meant. "I told Draco that I told you and Harry about my parents. But that's it."

A look of understanding passed over Pansy's face. She nodded, but didn't look away from Hermione.

"What about your parents?" asked a nosy Blaise.

Hermione glanced at Draco, who shrugged and sat down, turning his attention to his folders. Pansy sat on Hermione's bed and tried to comb through Hermione's tangled hair. Hermione winced as Pansy tugged at the knots. She looked at Blaise and proceeded to tell him what happened.

Ever since she spilled everything out to Pansy, and later Harry, she found it easier to talk about. Blaise listened with rapt attention and his facial expression did not change once during the whole story, unlike his wife, who nearly sobbed during the entire time. Hermione told Blaise about the argument she had gotten into with her parents and said that she kept that part out when she described to Harry what had happened. She then proceeded to tell Blaise and Pansy her conversation with her parents when she was unconscious. She knew she must've sounded crazy, but Hermione didn't care.

"So…your parents mean…" Blaise trailed off, unsure at what to say.

"They were telling me to be happy," said Hermione. "And to forgive myself."

Blaise nodded. "I agree. Just curious, though. Did you or will you tell Potter about the argument with your parents?"

Hermione shrugged and shook her head. "I don't think so. But at least I finally told him that they're gone, right?" She looked pleadingly at Blaise as if she was trying to get him to understand. "But I'm finally ready to accept what happened and move on." She smiled at Draco, who was bent over his work. He felt her eyes on him and he glanced up and smiled warmly at her. "When can I get out of here, Draco?"

"I'm not sure." His fingers dangerously inched closer to her chart, but he pulled them back. "LA made me promise I wouldn't look at your chart and make my own recommendations. We both hate it when our patients have family members in healthcare because they always think they know better." He gestured to her leg. "I don't know how bad your leg is, but LA didn't seem worried. It's definitely not a surgical case, so that's good."

"If it's not surgical, why is she my doctor?"

Draco gave her a look. "There's no way I would leave you in the hands of anyone else. You were dead, Hermione. Dead. I don't know what I would've done if you stayed that way." He completely forgot about Pansy and Blaise, who both looked between Draco and Hermione like they were watching a tennis match.

"Why does it even matter so much to you?" Hermione forgot about Blaise and Pansy, too. They both continued to silently watch them, Blaise with an amused look on his face and Pansy, with one of excitement. She looked ready to squeal and dropped Hermione's hair from her hands.

"Why does it matter to me? Why do you matter to me? Is that seriously what you're asking?"

Hermione nodded slowly. "I mean, I know we're close and all—"

"Hermione, you're my best friend."

"Thanks, mate," piped up Blaise. "I thought I was your best friend." Pansy threw him an angry look and brought a finger to her mouth.

Draco rolled his eyes and silently went back to his work. Hermione stared at him for a few moments before looking away. She and Pansy started talking about something and Blaise picked up the remote to the telly and started flipping channels.

They stayed like this for a few hours until Draco was paged away. Hermione and Pansy continued to talk and Blaise turned the volume louder to drown them out. While Pansy spoke and combed through Hermione's hair, Hermione couldn't help but think of how strange it was to be in a Muggle hospital room with Pansy and Blaise. And Draco, for that matter. She never would've imagined every becoming friends with any of these people and now they were closer than her own friends were.

The thought made her a bit sad, although she knew it was her fault. She was the one who pushed them away. She was the one who didn't open up to them after spending many years at Hogwarts scolding Harry and Ron to talk about their feelings. She was glad that Harry continued to push even though she hadn't wanted him to. She felt bad that she wasn't even on speaking terms with Ginny.

Someone knocked at the door and the three of them looked at it, waiting for someone to come in.

"Come in," called Hermione.

The door slowly opened and Harry stood there with flowers in his hand. Hermione grinned and beckoned him in.

"Come in, Harry, come in!"

Harry nodded and stepped into the room, nodding at Blaise and Pansy. "Zabinis..." He walked toward Hermione and gave her a tight hug. "I'm so happy you're okay."

Hermione sniffed and blinked back tears. "Thanks for coming, Harry."

Pansy stood from the bed and sat next to her husband, but Blaise stood up, taking Pansy's hand. "We'll be on our way now, Potter." He flashed a smile at Hermione. "I'm happy to see that you're doing well. It really did suck seeing you like that the other day."

Hermione smiled at him and gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for coming, Blaise. It was great to see you. You too, Pans."

Pansy gave Hermione a long hug. "I didn't even finish your hair!" Blaise chortled as he took in her hair.

"Is there something wrong with it? What did you do, Pansy?"

Pansy made a face. "I'll see you later, Hermione!" She waved to Hermione and grabbed Blaise's arm as they walked out of there.

Harry waited until the door had closed before speaking. "How are you, Hermione? Really? Did you get to talk to Malfoy?"

She shook her head. "Not yet, not about...you know. Every time I try to, he cuts me off or I get all shy and scared. But I think I'm getting better. A lot better." She, too, proceeded to tell Harry about seeing her parents. Except this time, she told him everything her parents had said, including all of their advice about Draco.

"That was something I had to learn, too, remember? That even though they're gone, they're always with me. Remember that night in third year, when I thought I had seen my dad cast that Patronus? I really thought he had reappeared."

"Yeah. And later Dumbledore said that you found him within yourself."

"Maybe this is you finding your parents within yourself."

Hermione nodded, deep in thought.

"Ginny...sends her regards, Hermione. I hope you don't mind, but I told her about your parents. I didn't say anything about Malfoy, though. He's still a bit of a sore subject for her. Even though she loves that Quidditch mobile he got us for the baby."

"A Quidditch mobile? And has Ginny had the baby yet?"

"No, Ginny hasn't had James yet. She's due in three weeks, though, so it's close. Mrs. Weasley has barely left the house!"

"And the Quidditch mobile? Draco really got that for you guys?"

"Well, the card was signed with your name, but seeing that it was a complete surprise to you, it wasn't too hard to figure out that Malfoy was the one who picked it out and put your name on it." Harry looked around. "Where is he, anyway? Zabini said you couldn't tear him from you."

"He's at work."

"Oh, this is the Muggle hospital he works at? Where is he now? I'd love to glimpse Draco Malfoy amongst Muggles."

"Well, he's a lot nicer to them than he was to us." Hermione smiled. "I think the pair of you could be great friends if you tried."

Harry gave her a look. "I think we've come to some sort of understanding, but friendship? That's still a long shot."

"I won't give up on it." Hermione grinned. "I've missed you, Harry. I'm really sorry I was all out of sorts. I just...I didn't know how to handle it."

"It's all right, Hermione. I'm glad you came back." He smiled at her and took her hand. "I hope you don't mind, but I also told Ron that you were in the hospital."

"Does he hate me?" she asked.

"Not so much anymore," Harry answered, truthfully. "He's moved on, I think. I hope he's accepted what's happened between the two of you."

"That's good. I'm glad he's moved on."

"Can I just ask you one thing, Hermione? If your parents hadn't...gotten into the car accident, would you still be engaged to Ron?"

Hermione nodded slowly. "I think so."

"But you wouldn't be happy, would you? You haven't been happy with him for a long time, have you? I didn't want to say anything because it didn't seem any different, but now that I've seen you with Draco just those few times, and the way you talk about him...you never talked about Ron like that. Or look at him the way you look at Draco." Harry sighed. "You really love him, don't you? You really should tell him."

Someone knocked at the door and Narcissa walked in with an armful of flowers. It was so big that it nearly covered her face.

Harry stood and took the bouquet from Narcissa's hands. He placed it on the windowsill and nodded at Narcissa. "Mrs. Malfoy," he said stiffly.

"Mr. Potter, thank you!" She looked at Hermione on the bed and immediately went to her side and gave her a hug. "Hermione! I was beside myself when Blaise told me the news. I'm assuming my son was far too worried about you to tell me." She pulled back and looked at Hermione. "What on earth did you do to your hair?"

Draco laughed as he entered the room. "You look like Mufasa, Hermione," he said, referring to the character in The Lion King. He shut the door behind him. "Nice to see you, Potter."

"You too, Malfoy." Harry sat awkwardly where Blaise had sat earlier.

Draco kissed his mother's cheek. "I believe it was compliments of Pansy, Mother."

"She said she wasn't finished!" cried out Hermione, suddenly self-conscious. She brought her hands to her hair in an attempt to smooth it down.

Narcissa laughed and pulled out a comb and a bottle of Sleakeazy from her bag. She squirted some in her hand and ran it through Hermione's hair. "I've always wanted a daughter so I could fix her hair."

"That's why my hair was so long when I was younger," Draco drawled. "Then I got smart and just cut it short." He sat down in the only empty seat—next to Harry, and turned on the telly. "Blaise and Pansy said they'd be back later."

Harry sat back and watched the interaction between Draco, his mother, and Hermione. He felt out of place among them. They actually seemed like a family. A mother fawning over her daughter-in-law and her son. Hermione would say something to Draco and Draco would shoot something back as soon as Hermione finished what she was saying. It reminded Harry about their times at Hogwarts, when they would argue with Draco, but this time, instead of being irritated and angry with Draco, he could see that Draco truly matched Hermione in intelligence and wit. They were talking about some book that the pair of them had read and Narcissa was steadily combing Hermione's hair and watching the telly, ignoring them. Evidently, Draco and Hermione disagreed about something in the book and Harry could barely keep up with them.

He glanced at his watch and stood up.

"Oh no, Harry, are you leaving already?" asked Hermione. "I'm sorry, if Draco, here, would only see that—"

Harry smiled. "It's okay, Hermione. I never really understood you at Hogwarts when you started talking about your books and I still don't."

"She is a bit crazy about her books," Draco added.

"Apparently, so are you."

Draco rolled his eyes and shook his head. "The first time she came over to my flat, I think she was going to kick me out of my own library."

"The fact that you have a library, Malfoy, already places you on a level with Hermione. She's the only other person I know that has a library in a flat!" He gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek and nodded at Narcissa. "I have to get back to the office, anyway. We've been trying to capture this warlock."

"Okay," said Hermione. "I'm glad you came."

"Me too."

"Please…tell Ginny that I said hello."

"I will. I'll come see you soon." He glanced at Draco and they shook each other's hands.

"I'll let you know when she's out of the hospital."

"Thanks, Malfoy."

Harry looked over his shoulder as he departed the room. Narcissa was still combing Hermione's hair and Draco had taken a seat on the bed. He and Hermione looked like they were in the midst of arguing about something and Hermione's eyes passionately lit up. It reminded him of when Hermione asked Harry to teach them Defense Against the Dark Arts in their fifth year at Hogwarts.

Things have changed so much since then.

Harry thought things were difficult then, but it didn't compare to how things felt now. He was torn between liking and disliking Malfoy and he was torn between telling Ginny about Malfoy or not. Malfoy was still a sensitive subject with Ginny, ever since Hermione ditched Ginny to hang out with him that one time. With the level-headed view of an Auror, Harry could see now that Hermione was in pain and hurting and Malfoy was the only one who could have helped her at the time. With the view as her friend, he, too, felt a bit betrayed. But he's grown to respect Malfoy, especially after all the additional research Harry put into him since he found out that Hermione was spending a lot of time with Malfoy.

Malfoy was a respected man in the Muggle world. Top of his class at university and medical school. He earned the highest grades on his intern exam and his attendings and the other doctors had nothing but impressive things to say about him.

Harry walked out of the building with the hopes of putting his own family back together, the little one he made with Ron and Hermione and Ginny. He realized now that Hermione would have never been happy with Ron. Her eyes never lit up like that when she spoke to him or even argued with him. Whenever Malfoy walked into the room, even if she didn't look up at him, her eyes sparkled with knowledge that he was there. Malfoy would look at her and even if she wasn't paying attention to him, it was as if she could feel his eyes on her, and they would light up like Harry's never seen before.

Harry was glad that Hermione was healing and he put that above everything else. He decided that he would keep his distance and slowly try to mend the tear between his wife and his best friend.

It was the least he could do for the two women he loved the most.

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><p>There's that chapter! It's kind of a bit of a filler chapter, with a little insight into Harry's thoughts and all. What did you all think? Please let me know and leave a review if you've got the time!<p> 


	19. Chapter 19

Thank you all for reading! I do appreciate all of the reviews that you've also given, as well as the alerts/favorites!

I know it's a bit frustrating that Hermione and Draco have not admitted their feelings for one another, but it will be big when they do. They're just shy and don't want to mess up the friendship, which, I suppose, is pretty normal in any relationship that grows from friendship. So, it will still be a bit more time, but I hope you all continue to enjoy the story!

So, here's the next chapter!

* * *

><p>Hermione was released from the hospital two days later. The infection in her leg was treated and she was on her way to full health again. Her body temperature had returned to normal and she was looking forward to finally going home to her own bed.<p>

"Draco, I'm not an invalid, I can go up the stairs fine," Hermione said, irritated that Draco was trying to hold on to her. "Honestly, I think you're holding me back here!"

"Your flat's too far up," he said, struggling to hold onto her bags and her. "You should get one closer to the front door."

"And what purpose would that serve? Next time I get out of the hospital, it'll be easier to get into my flat?"

Draco shot her an annoyed look. "Least you could do is help."

"I thought you said you didn't need help, Malfoy!"

"Granger. Shut up."

Hermione laughed and took one of her bags from him. She threw it over her shoulder and slowly walked up the stairs, leaning against the wall to ease the pressure from her leg.

"Are you tired?" Draco asked.

"I'm fine. It just hurts when I put too much pressure on my leg."

Draco looked at her leg, then back at her. "Like I told you, ground floor, Hermione!"

"Are you guys not up here, yet?" Pansy called. She looked down the staircase. "What's taking you so long?"

"Hermione's flat is too far up!" called Draco.

"Draco—"

"Really?" Pansy said, cutting Hermione off. "Have you ever heard of this thing called Apparating?"

Draco and Hermione looked at each other and laughed. Draco took Hermione's hand and looked around to make sure they were alone. In a split second, they Disapparated from the staircase and reappeared in Hermione's living room.

Pansy shut the door to the hallway, shaking her head. She saw Hermione and Draco in the living room. "You know what these two fools did?" she said to her husband, who was watching Hermione's telly.

"Mmm?" replied Blaise. He was thoroughly intrigued by Dr. Who.

"They were complaining about how long the walk was when all they had to do was Apparate!"

Blaise looked up with a raised eyebrow. "Been in the Muggle world too long, mate. Magic makes life easier."

Draco rolled his eyes and dropped Hermione's bags in her room. He stopped by her guest room and took off his jacket, placing it in the closet.

Upon her release from the hospital, Draco didn't want Hermione to be alone and even offered his mother to open her house to Hermione, but Hermione refused. She said she wanted to be home again. Draco insisted on Hermione staying at his flat again, but she didn't want him to spend every night on the couch again, forgetting that they could have transfigured the couch into a bed. So, instead, she offered her flat to him since she had an extra room. Draco accepted and Blaise and Pansy have been completely annoying ever since, making faces and saying pointed things to one another in an attempt to get Draco to admit his feelings for Hermione.

"Yeah, right," he thought. "Like hell I would say anything with them here."

He headed back to the living room and saw Blaise settled in front of the telly and Pansy and Hermione deep in conversation at the kitchen table. He sat down next to Blaise and nodded over to Hermione and Pansy. "Who would've guessed that those two would ever become friends?" he said.

Blaise chuckled. "Whoever said that you and her would be friends. Whenever you want to kick me and Pansy out, just say the word, and we'll be out of here faster than you can run up the stairs. Because, we remember that we can Apparate."

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Hermione," called Blaise. He looked over the couch. "Do you own a red dress?"

"It was blue, Blaise."

"Oh, blue!" Blaise laughed at his mistake. Pansy could tell where Blaise was going with this and started to laugh, but tried to hide it by covering her face with her hand.

Hermione looked confused at the question and stared between Pansy and Blaise. "Yes, why? What's going on with you two?"

"Must be a married peoples thing," Draco answered, shrugging.

"Oh, Hermione, I've always wanted to know—" started Blaise.

"What?"

"Were you the reason why Potter won the Triwizard Tournament? I've been waiting fifteen years to ask you."

Pansy laughed harder. "Blaise, you're such an idiot."

"What? I don't get it."

"He really wants to know, Hermione," Draco replied. "It has actually been bugging him since fourth year."

"Yeah. There's no way Potter had the smarts to pull it off, no offense, Hermione. After the Ravenclaws, the Slytherins are the smartest house at Hogwarts."

"I beg to differ!" Hermione protested.

"You're an exception, Hermione."

"Yeah, well, Slytherin had Crabbe and Goyle!"

"And Gryffindor had Potter and Weasley!"

Draco bit back a laugh. He and Pansy exchanged a glance that sent them both into laughter.

"Okay, fine," said Blaise. He looked back at the telly, then back at Hermione.

"What?" Hermione asked, seeing his pointed look.

"When Sirius Black was still being accused of murder, did he really show up in the Gryffindor Tower with a knife?"

"Yes. Sheesh." Hermione looked back at Pansy and resumed where she had left off. Pansy nodded over Hermione's shoulder toward her husband. "What now, Blaise?" she asked.

"Did the Weasley twins really test their products on the younger years at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, I had to give them detention. Then I had to tell their mother!"

Blaise gave Draco a gleeful look.

"Why all the questions, Blaise?"

"Everything he's ever wanted to ask a Gryffindor, he's asking you, Hermione," answered Draco. "He's never had friends outside of Slytherin."

Blaise nodded. "None that I could ask questions about. So did you really help Potter during the Triwizard Tournament? There's no way he could've gotten past the dragon without your help."

Hermione smiled. "I just…pushed him in the right direction. When we were at school, Harry and Ron were often annoyed with me because I forced them to do their homework and didn't let them copy mine. Once, I even got them homework planners for Christmas so they would stop forgetting about it."

Draco, Blaise, and Pansy all burst out laughing.

"My, my, it's no wonder why you beat Draco at every exam." Blaise looked at Draco. "Maybe you should've used a homework planner!"

"Right, then I'll be hanging from the Slytherin dungeons by my knickers. I didn't need to study. I knew it all."

"Not top of the class."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Was it creepy in the dungeons?" asked Hermione. "If you guys get to ask your Gryffindor questions, then I get to ask my Slytherin ones."

"No," answered Pansy. "It was nice. But everything had a greenish tint to it because we were under the lake."

"Did Gryffindors duel each other for no reason?" asked Blaise. Draco looked at him, exasperatedly. Blaise shrugged. "What? Isn't that what they're known for? Dueling and fighting? You know, brawns over brains."

"Just stop talking, Blaise. You're digging yourself a bigger hole." Draco laughed.

Hermione shook her head. "No. As far as I know, we've never dueled anybody in the common room. Did Slytherins curse each other at every chance you got?"

"No," answered Blaise. "That was reserved for the other Houses." Draco and Pansy nodded in agreement. "Particularly the Gryffindors. Particularly one Potter, Weasley, or Granger."

"Hey!"

Blaise raised his hands. "You were never the subject of my cursing." He nudged Draco. "This one, on the other hand. Remember that time before Potions and Draco and Potter tried to curse one another? Instead, it hit you, right, Hermione?" Blaise looked fondly at the memory and smiled. "Your teeth had grown passed your collar!"

"Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that. Thanks, Malfoy," she said, glaring at Draco.

Draco punched Blaise's arm. "Thanks Blaise."

"No problem." Blaise grinned at Draco. "This is fun, isn't it? Just like a walk down memory lane."

"Well, of course, it's fun for you, Blaise," said Pansy. "You did nothing at Hogwarts that you'd be ashamed of."

"I must admit, I am infinitely more smarter than both of you, Draco and Pansy. Hermione, I'll concede to you."

"Why did you stay out of all of it, Blaise?" asked Hermione. "I honestly barely remember you at Hogwarts."

"Well, Draco and I weren't really friends until sixth year. Not real friends until then, right? I caught him talking to a ghost about his problems. I just kept to myself because everyone was too much of an idiot to be friends with."

"Hey!" exclaimed Draco and Pansy.

"Pans and I were friends, too. But Crabbe, Goyle, Nott…they all annoyed me. And Millicent Bulstrode. Daphne was nice, though."

"Blaise was so hard to please," Pansy said. "He never smiled. He was boring back then. It wasn't a loss to not remember him at Hogwarts."

"Why, thank you, my dear wife."

"Anytime." Pansy smiled sweetly at him.

Hermione laughed. "Why did you keep accepting those invitations from Slughorn?"

Blaise looked confused. "What invitations?"

"In sixth year. Remember how Slughorn had that Slug Club? I remember you always went to the meetings."

"Oh, that was a complete waste of time. I just went to the meetings because—"

Draco cleared his throat.

"Never mind."

"What?" asked Hermione.

"Nothing."

Hermione looked curiously between Blaise and Draco, who've suddenly became very interested in the ceiling. "Why?" she asked.

"The food. The food was good."

"Liar."

"I'm offended, Hermione. Did you really just call me a liar?"

"Yes."

Blaise smirked at Draco.

"Draco wanted Blaise to keep an eye on you!" Pansy burst out.

"Pansy!" Draco exclaimed.

"What?" Hermione looked surprise. "Why? You hated me back then."

"Hermione…" said Pansy. She raised her eyebrows and Hermione nodded in understanding.

"It was nothing," Draco said. "That was the year I was given the mission."

"The year you 'crashed' Slughorn's Christmas party," said Blaise, laughing. "Dumbest excuse ever."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I wish Snape could've killed me then."

"I went with Cormac McLaggen," Hermione said, shuddering. "What an irritant."

"He's a Quidditch player, now," Blaise said. "On the reserves. You do have a thing for Quidditch players, don't you?" He looked over at Draco and elbowed him. "Shame you didn't become a Quidditch player."

"Shut up, Blaise. Why did Draco have you keep an eye on me?"

"Ah," Blaise said, pointing to Hermione. "You just told me to shut up. I'm saying nothing."

Hermione groaned. "Draco?"

Draco looked away and flipped the channels on the telly.

"Pansy?" Hermione looked at Pansy, pleadingly.

"Because his aunt wanted to kill you!" she said.

"Pansy!" exclaimed Draco.

Pansy gave him a look. "What? It's all in the past, anyway, right? Why don't you just tell her?"

"Yeah," agreed Hermione. "Just tell me."

Draco sighed. "Fine. After the whole thing in the Department of Mysteries, Bellatrix wanted to kill you."

"Just me?"

"No, she wanted to kill all of you. And she was mad, she would've done it with a smile on her face and eating an ice cream cone at the same time."

"But why would you care, Draco? You hated me back then."

"Yeah, I did, but…I dunno, being top of the class wouldn't have been fun if I hadn't beaten you, I guess."

"He had a soft spot for you, Hermione," Blaise added. Draco hit his arm. "Ow!" He looked at Draco. "What, you did!" Blaise laughed. "Ever since you punched him in third year." Draco punched him again. "Remember the Quidditch World Cup? Didn't you tell her to hide from the Death Eaters, then, too?" Blaise laughed again, while Draco shook his head.

"That's not how it happened."

Hermione searched her brain for that memory of the Quidditch World Cup. "You did tell me to hide."

"No, I didn't."

"You pretty much did."

Draco shrugged. "Let's talk about something different now." He looked around. "Hermione's had a long day, maybe you two should leave."

"Why?" asked Blaise. "So we won't continue to reveal the real Draco Malfoy when he was at Hogwarts?" He smirked.

"Yes!" He and Blaise stood up and gave each other a hug.

"Fine. Come on, Pans, I can see when we're no longer wanted."

"You guys don't have to go," said Hermione.

"Yes, they do," called Draco.

Pansy stood up and gave her a hug. "When are you back to work? Let's have lunch whenever Draco's at work. Then we can talk about him some more."

"No!" exclaimed Draco.

"Ooh, can I come, too?" asked Blaise. "We can have a Ministry workers party in your office."

Hermione laughed. "Sure. I'm back to work in two days. I wanted to go back tomorrow, but Draco somehow got Kingsley to tell me to stay home."

"Because you need to rest," he said, tersely. "Are you guys leaving or what?"

Pansy hugged Draco. "Bye Draco."

Draco stood to let them out and locked the door behind them. "Finally. Some peace and quiet. We should've told them to leave a long time ago. Sorry, Hermione."

"It's okay. I like talking to Pansy and Blaise."

"Are you tired? Do you want me to help you to bed? Or are you hungry? I can make you something." Draco pulled open a drawer before remembering that she didn't have any dishes or silverware. "Oh, I forgot. We could order in."

"No, it's okay. It's just…I want to visit my parents. Then, can we buy some dishes and silverware?"

Draco momentarily flashed back to the first time she had visited her parents. "Okay."

"I promise I won't shut down on you if we go."

"You better not. Do you need a jacket?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

"I'll get one for you." Draco ran to Hermione's room and placed a jacket over Hermione's shoulders. "Are you sure you want to go?"

"I'm sure. I promised them that I would visit."

Draco smiled. "Okay. Let's go."

In a flash, they disappeared and reappeared underneath a tree that was close to Hermione's parents' graves. Draco took Hermione's hand and helped her to the graves and carefully lowered her so she sat down in front of the tombstones.

"Dr. and Dr. Granger," he said respectfully. "I hope you agree with me when I say that Hermione acted very recklessly going out on the dock like that. And I'm sure you'll agree with me when I say that Hermione shouldn't go back to work so soon."

Hermione placed a hand on Draco's arm and smiled.

Draco leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "I'll be right over there if you need me. And I think they agree with me."

Hermione nodded. "Thank you." She waited for Draco to be out of hearing distance before she started to speak. "So, Mum. Dad. I'm here. And I'm back. Thank you for making come back. Of course, I wouldn't have wanted anything more than to be with you again, but…" She trailed off, looking at Draco on the bench, who had pulled out a book and was in the midst of reading. "I do love him. But I haven't told him yet. I'm too scared to tell him. What if he doesn't feel the same way, Mum? What if he just laughs at me, Dad? I can't imagine not seeing him every day and I guess when I go back to work, I'll miss it. When I was in the hospital, he stayed every night with me. He would talk to me until I fell asleep. He would read to me until I fell asleep. It was almost like we were in our own little world and I could pretend that he was my boyfriend. I think it's easier that way, but what happens when he actually finds someone?

"And I've even become friends with his friends—Pansy and Blaise. Pansy used to be horrid to me, too, but she's different, too. I consider her one of my closest friends now. And Blaise. Blaise is like an annoying brother that is always around. I've also met Draco's mother, officially. She's absolutely wonderful. She reminds me a lot of you, Mum. She's not overwhelming or overbearing. She seems to know exactly what to say and how to say it. She visited me a few times in the hospital and she combed through my hair just like you used to do when I was a child, Mum. She said she always wanted a daughter to do that, too. She will never replace you in my life, Mum, but she can fill a void for me. And I hope I can fill one for her, too.

"I finally told Harry about you guys. And about Draco. And he didn't flip a lid or get angry with me. It makes me wish that I told him sooner. But if I hadn't told him sooner, then I guess Draco and I wouldn't be so close now, would we? I guess everything happens for a reason. If we hadn't gone to that Muggle hospital that night, Draco never would've came back into my life. I understand that now. I see it now. I'm beginning to understand the importance of forgiving yourself. I'm happy, I really am. I'd be even happier if I could get over this fear of telling Draco how I feel. Where's that Gryffindor courage when I need it?"

She smiled at the graves and conjured up two bouquets of gardenias and placed it on the tombstones.

"I have to go now, Mum and Dad. Draco and I are going to buy dishes to replace the ones I gave away after you died. I promise I'll be back. I love you both."

At that moment, the wind blew through the air, causing one of the gardenias to fly out of its bouquet and into Hermione's lap. She picked it up and smiled at it. "And I know you love me, too."

She struggled to get up, but at once, Draco was at her side. "I'm ready to go," she said to Draco.

"Okay. Hang on, I'd just like to say something to your parents." He and Hermione stood over the graves. "Dr. and Dr. Granger. Your daughter never fails to impress me. Of course, only she can be dead and come back to life…then go back to work a week and a half later. She really has to sort out her priorities. But I'll watch over her and make sure she has some fun in her life."

"Funny, I made the same promise to your mum."

"Did you now?" Draco said, turning away from the graves. He put an arm around Hermione and helped her walk. "Do you still want to buy dishes and stuff? We could go back to your flat and I could get it. That way you don't have to waste much energy walking around."

"Amanda said that I should walk around," Hermione reminded him. "She said it wouldn't be good for me to just sit around."

"Fine. But just tell me if you get tired."

They walked to a nearby store and bought everything that Hermione thought she needed. Draco was amazed at everything Hermione gave away or threw out after her parents passed. She bought everything from dishes to silverware to towels to pots and pans. It was almost as if she was moving in to somewhere new.

He watched as she magicked her new belongings back to her home. She's really made some progress in just the past week, especially since waking up from her unconsciousness. He was glad that she was finally able to forgive herself and move on.

Now when can he find the courage to tell her how he feels?

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><p>There's that chapter! Hermione finally feels strong enough, emotionally, to visit her parents and even talk about Draco. And on a lesser note that can speak volumes, buy dishes and everything else she needs. I hope you all enjoyed it and please review if you have a chance!<p> 


	20. Chapter 20

Thanks for reading! I apologize for not updating as soon as I normally do - every 2-3 days, but this week has been really busy!

Thank you again for all the wonderful reviews! I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

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><p>Hermione went back to work four days after she was released from the hospital. Draco insisted that she stay at home and rest a bit longer and even pulled the doctor card on her. He even had Amanda write a note out to Hermione, telling her that she needed more rest.<p>

She expected a lot of questions and explanations when she first came back to the office. But nobody even gave her a second glance. She guessed that Harry, Blaise, and Pansy kept everything that happened to her under wraps.

Hermione opened her office and groaned at the amount of paperwork that had piled up on it. This was going to take her days to sort through. Why did she let Draco talk her into taking those extra days off?

She sat at her desk and began rifling through everything. Already, she'd had a memo from Pansy, telling her to meet at lunch, but Hermione replied back, saying she had way too much work to do.

"Hermione."

A deep, reassuring voice interrupted her thoughts. Hermione looked up at once, seeing Kingsley standing in her doorway.

"Minister! Please come in."

"Hermione, are you all right?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes. Loads of work to catch up on," she said, gesturing to her desk.

"I talked to Harry while you were out. He told me about your parents. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No, but thank you, Kingsley."

Kingsley nodded. "If you need any more time off, please let me know. That can be easily arranged."

Hermione nodded and smiled. "Thank you."

"My condolences to you. And I am happy to see you alive and well." He smiled at her before briskly walking away.

Hermione stared after him for a bit before resuming her work. She sorted through all the piles on her desk and was happy with the progress she made. She was already ahead of the schedule she mentally set up and decided it was time for a quick break.

She stretched her legs and muttered a quick hello to Blaise, who was in deep conversation with an Auror. Blaise nodded and winked at her and Hermione wished that Harry was there so she could talk to him, but he had gone on a mission to capture and bring in the warlock they had been tracking. Hermione made a bit of small talk with the witches and wizards she met along the way. They each gave her a surprised look and stammered through the short conversations, leaving Hermione bewildered at how they acted around her.

"Pansy?" Hermione said, knocking on Pansy's office door.

"I thought you were too busy to have lunch with me," Pansy replied, irritated.

"Finished faster than expected." Hermione dropped into a chair in front of Pansy's desk.

"How's the first day back?"

"Tiring."

Pansy smiled. "I could tell. You haven't said a full sentence since you've been in here."

"Why were people surprised that I was talking to them?"

Pansy smirked. "I heard you would snap at everyone around you and condescend them. I was glad I wasn't in your department."

"Really? Should I apologize? I think I'm better now."

"Sometimes it's fun to have people afraid of you. Gets the work done a whole lot faster."

"That's not very nice, Pansy."

"Nobody said you have to be nice."

"You Slytherins are too much of a bad influence on me."

Pansy laughed. "But you can't live without us."

Hermione shrugged and laughed. "I suppose." She then started telling Pansy about the night before when she tried to cook dinner for herself and Draco and ended up nearly burning the kitchen down. "Half of my kitchen was completely burnt! Draco and I had to use our wands to restore it."

Pansy laughed. "I would have never guessed Hermione Granger to be hopeless at cooking. Even I'm good at it."

"Can't be good at everything, I guess."

"That doesn't irritate you? Granger, not being good at something."

"Honestly, I think Draco likes having this one thing over me. I'll let him have it."

"Well, isn't that nice of you. Have you told him that you love him yet?"

"No. Every time I get close to, he cuts me off or I clam up. I can't say it. Especially if he doesn't feel the same."

"But he does! I could tell! And remember all those things we told you about him at Hogwarts?"

"But that's at Hogwarts. And I still don't really believe you guys. Draco was a complete arse to me. Why would he want to save me?"

"Yeah. I couldn't quite figure him out, either. Still can't. How is he anyway?"

"Fine, I suppose," said Hermione. "He had a hard day at work yesterday. Someone came in for kidney stones and Draco said they found that she had cancer in her gallbladder. They couldn't do anything, only help with the pain. They gave her four to six months to live."

"That's kind of sad."

"Yeah, it is." Hermione looked sad. "That's why I tried to cook dinner for him."

"Well, at least you cheered him up, right? It probably made his night that you nearly burnt down the kitchen." Pansy smiled and put some things away in her desk and stood up. "Shall we do lunch?" she asked.

Hermione nodded and the pair of them decided to go to Muggle London for lunch. She was really quite enjoying herself and found that she missed female company. It made her ache for Ginny terribly and she wished she had the courage to make up with her as well.

They decided to skive off work the rest of the afternoon and spent the rest of the day shopping in Muggle London. Hermione found this infinitely more enjoyable with Pansy than she did with Draco. With everything that Hermione had picked up, Draco asked if she wanted it and offered to pay for it, even if she didn't like it. Pansy, on the other hand, turned her nose up at some things and absolutely loved other things. She gave Hermione her honest opinion and there were times when Hermione was reminded of the girl at Hogwarts, but now she loved her.

Pansy and Hermione walked down the corridors at Debenhams. They pulled random things off of the shelves and laughed at each other in the ridiculous hats and outfits.

All of a sudden, they heard a loud crash near them. Hermione and Pansy looked at each other in horror, and along with a number of other people, ran to the scene of the accident. One of the workers was on the floor, leaning over someone.

"She's pregnant!" he cried out. "I don't know what happened. She just fainted!" He turned to the nearest shopper. "Call emergency!"

The crowd surrounding the pregnant lady grew, waiting to see if she was all right. The worker moved and Hermione recognized that flaming red hair anywhere.

"Ginny!" she cried out, running forward. "Ginny…" Hermione knelt down and took her hand.

"Do you know this woman?" the worker asked, frantic.

Hermione nodded. "This is a friend of mine. But I haven't seen her in months."

"Out of the way!" Two paramedics pushed their way through the crowd and gestured for Hermione to move out of the way. They quickly took her vitals and hoisted her onto a stretcher. "Are you coming?" one of them asked Hermione.

Hermione nodded and glanced back at Pansy. "Pansy…"

"Not a word, Hermione. I'm coming with you." She and Hermione quickly followed the paramedics. Hermione climbed into the back of the ambulance, holding Ginny's hand while Pansy climbed into the front seat. They quickly made haste to the hospital that Draco works at and arrived in less than ten minutes.

As soon as the door opened, Hermione ran out of the ambulance.

"What happened?"

She heard that familiar voice that she loved to hear. "Draco! It's Ginny—"

"Hermione? What are you doing here?" He looked at her in concern, before seeing the paramedics hoist the stretcher out of the ambulance. "And Pansy? What happened?"

One of the paramedics answered Draco, quickly pushing Ginny into the ER. Hermione and Pansy quickly followed, pestering Draco with questions. He shot them an irritated look.

"Would you guys just be quiet! I'm trying to do my job here," Draco said, tossing up his hands. "In there," he directed. "Get her in there."

The paramedics followed Draco's instruction and quickly left the ER. Draco turned to Hermione and Pansy. "Wait out here until I figure out what happened." Hermione and Pansy nodded and stood at the window, watching Draco work.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Hermione asked, worried. She looked around and shuddered. "I hate it here." She pointed to a room further down from them. "That's where my dad died. And my mum in the room next to him."

"I'm sorry, Hermione." Pansy put an arm around Hermione and hugged her. "At least Draco's in there. He's good, from what I hear."

Hermione nodded. "Yeah."

After a long time, Draco finally emerged from the room. He hugged Hermione and gave Pansy a kiss on the cheek with his arms still around Hermione. "She should be fine. But we're running more tests on her, especially with the baby. They're moving her to another room. What happened? How did you guys end up with her?"

"We were shopping in Muggle London and we heard a crash and it was Ginny," answered Hermione.

"Shouldn't you guys be at the Ministry? And did either of you get in touch with Potter?"

"We skived off the rest of the afternoon," explained Pansy.

"And Harry's out on a mission. He's not allowed to have any form of communication when he's out on the field," answered Hermione.

"So Potter doesn't even know? When will he get back?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know."

Draco sighed. "Is there anybody else we could call for her?"

"Her mum, I suppose."

"Pansy, call her mum. We'll be in room 304."" He took Hermione's hand and led her to Ginny's room. "Stay with her. The baby's in distress and her blood pressure is too high."

"Is she awake?"

"She should be waking soon."

Hermione pulled back when they reached the door. "I haven't spoken to her yet. Not since, not since…"

"But she knows, right? Things should be fine now. Go make sure she's okay, Hermione. She needs you right now, especially since Potter's not here. I need to go get her labs to make sure she's okay." Hermione nodded. Draco prodded her toward the door. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Hermione slowly opened the door and walked into the room. She quietly walked toward the bed and pulled a chair closer to the side of it, wincing at the loud sound it made. Ginny's eyes shot open and she looked around in fear. Hermione hesitantly took Ginny's hand.

"Ginny? It's me, Hermione."

Ginny looked around at Hermione and tears formed in her eyes. "Hermione? What happened?"

Hermione explained what happened to Ginny and how she found her in the middle of the department store.

"Is everything okay?" asked Ginny. She rubbed her belly. "The baby?"

"I think so. Draco said the baby's in distress, but he didn't look too concerned."

"Draco? Draco Malfoy?"

Hermione nodded. "He's a doctor here. You're in a Muggle hospital."

"My stomach hurts. Something's wrong." Ginny looked worried.

"Draco should be back soon. He said he's only be a few minutes, but I'll try and find someone." Hermione opened the door and stuck her head out of the door. "Amanda!"

"Hermione!" Pansy ran forward through the halls. "Is Potter okay?"

"I'm not sure." Hermione stood aside and Pansy walked in. "Amanda!"

Amanda looked up from the nurse's desk and looked at Hermione in surprise. "Hermione? What are you doing here?"

"My friend's in pain here. She's pregnant."

Amanda looked concerned. "Okay." She dropped what she was holding and headed for the room. "What happened?" she asked. "What's wrong?" Amanda said to Ginny, taking out her flashlight and shining it in Ginny's eyes.

"My stomach. I'm having pains and something's wrong, I could tell."

Amanda looked at Hermione. "Is Malfoy her doctor? Where is he?"

"Getting labs or something."

"Already trying to steal my patient, LA?" Draco humorlessly said, walking into the room. He was looking at the scans in his hands, holding them up to the light.

"You weren't around, so Hermione asked me to look."

"Did you find anything?" Draco gave Ginny a concerned look. He squeezed Hermione's shoulder.

"Didn't have time to look."

"Then I could take over from here, LA."

Amanda nodded and walked out of the room. "I'll see you later, Hermione."

Hermione nodded at Amanda. "How is she, Draco? How's Ginny?"

Draco winced. "Your baby needs to come out, Ginny."

"What, now? I'm not due for another two weeks! And Harry's not here, Harry's out on a mission! He's supposed to be back tomorrow!" She frantically looked around with tears gathering in her eyes. Beeps sounded all around her as her blood pressure rose.

"You have to calm down, Ginny," Draco said, putting on his best doctor voice. "It's not good for the baby." He glanced at Hermione and gestured her over. "He has to come out now or…you might lose him."

Hermione took Ginny's hand and rubbed it. "Calm down, Ginny, calm down." She moved her hair from her face.

Pansy walked over and used a small washcloth to wipe Ginny's forehead. "Calm down," she said in a soothing voice, the first words she had ever uttered to her.

The beeps grew more frantic and louder. Draco pushed a button and stared at the machines, growing more and more worried. Two nurses came running in.

"Page Walsh!" he yelled, referring to the head of the neonatal department. Draco pulled on some gloves and kept glancing at the door. "BP is going up!"

Ginny screamed and yelled in pain. She threw her head back and turned white.

"Draco, what's wrong? What's wrong with her?" asked Hermione, still holding onto Ginny's hand. Ginny held her hand with such strength that Hermione felt like it was about to break.

"She's in labor," Draco said calmly. "Hermione, keep trying to calm her down. The baby's at an awkward angle. It won't be pleasant."

"Do we have to do this…this way? We can't use our way?"

Draco grimaced and shook his head. "Not anymore." He nodded to the nurses and shrugged.

"Out of my way, Malfoy," Walsh said, holding her hands out for the latex gloves. She placed a mask over her face.

Draco moved and helped the nurses prep Ginny.

"Can we stay?" asked Pansy, looking at Draco.

Draco nodded. "Keep her calm, though."

Ginny screamed in pain again.

"Can't we do anything about the pain?" Hermione asked, wincing as Ginny squeezed her hand harder. "Drugs, medicine, something?"

"No time," said Walsh curtly. She sat in front of Ginny's legs and encouraged Ginny to push. "Malfoy, since the baby's at an awkward angle, I have to help him move," she explained. "I need her to push, Malfoy!"

Draco nodded in response, but didn't look as he normally would have. It was a teaching hospital and he enjoyed all the aspects of learning, but he felt he was too close to Ginny, even if they weren't actually friends. He stood next to Hermione, helping to try and calm Ginny down. "Ginny, you're going to have to push, okay? Your son wants to come out."

"No," she cried out, shaking his head. "No, no, no. I can't do it, I just can't. Harry's not here, it's not time, it's—"

"Yes," Draco said. He leaned into Ginny and cupped her face. "Ginny Potter. You can do this. You can have this baby. You will have this baby. You are one of the strongest people that I can remember. You've fought people twice your age and twice your strength. And when your husband come back from his mission, he'll be right here with you and your son. You can have this baby. You will have this baby. All you have to do is push."

Slowly, Ginny bit her lip and nodded.

"Okay?" Draco said. "Push, just push. Okay. He needs your help to come out. He's ready to come out."

Ginny nodded again. Draco took her hand from Hermione and continued to encourage her to push.

"Keep pushing!" encouraged Walsh. "I can see the top of the head!"

It took another forty-five minutes, but eventually, the sound of a baby crying pierced the air.

"Malfoy," Walsh said gesturing to the baby.

Draco quickly cut the umbilical cord and carefully brought the baby to a nearby table, examining him. "Vitals are stable," Draco said quickly.

Walsh nodded. She stood up and smiled at Ginny. "Congratulations, Mrs. Potter. Keep me updated, Malfoy."

"I will." He handed the baby over to the nurses who promptly cleaned him up. Draco pulled his gloves off and tossed it in the trash. He quickly washed his hands and took the swaddled baby from the nurse. "Here you go, Ginny Potter." He carefully placed the baby in Ginny's arms.

She had tears running down her face and a big grin as she reached out for her baby. "Oh my…wow…this is my son…"

"This is your son," Draco said with a smile. He put an arm around Hermione and hugged her close. Hermione, too, had tears running down her face, while Pansy wiped her eyes with tissue.

"Have you thought of a name?" asked Hermione shyly.

Ginny nodded. "James Sirius Potter."

"The nurse will be back in later to do the birth certificate, Ginny," Draco said gently. "We should give you some privacy with the baby. Hermione? Pansy?" He gestured to the door. They followed him out of the door. "You got in touch with her mother, right, Pansy?"

Pansy shook her head. "I told Blaise and told him to tell one of the Weasleys at the Ministry."

"So one of them should be here soon." He ran his fingers through his hair and looked down at the chart. "Hermione, maybe you should go back in there. She needs someone that she actually likes in there right now."

"She doesn't like me."

"Hermione, she just had a child. I'm sure she's over any petty differences she may have had with you." He pushed her toward the door. "Go. The nurses will be in soon with the crib."

"I'll head back to the Ministry, Hermione," said Pansy, moving forward to give her friend a hug. "I'll see you later."

Hermione nodded and slowly walked back toward the door. She opened it slowly and sat next to Ginny's bed. Ginny didn't look up as Hermione walked in; she was too entranced by her son, staring at him like he wasn't real.

"Ginny?" started Hermione. "I'm really sorry for everything."

Ginny looked up and gave her a small smile. "Harry told me what happened to your parents. I'm sorry. I think it frustrated me even more because I felt like I was losing you."

"I'm sorry, Ginny. I know I should've told you guys, but I just…I just couldn't deal with it."

"Harry also told me that Malfoy helped you? Is that why you went off with him that one time?"

"Draco was the only one who knew. He was the doctor who tried to save my parents."

"And he's the doctor that saved my son."

"He's different, you know. Not at all like that prat we went to school with."

"I know. Harry told me."

"What else did Harry tell you?"

Ginny looked at Hermione and toward the window, where Draco stood, hunched over the nurse's desk. "He hinted that there was something more between the two of you. How long have you been dating?" Ginny looked a bit sad at her question and hugged the baby closer to her.

"We're not dating," Hermione said. "We're just friends."

Ginny looked a bit relieved. "But do you want it to be more?"

Hermione looked out the window at Draco. Instantly, he seemed to know her eyes were on him and he looked up from his work. He gave her a small wave and a smile.

"Of course I do."

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><p>Yay, Ginny &amp; Hermione are friends again! How do you like how that all played out? And what did you think of Pansy being there and Draco helping Ginny through the birth? Please let me know what you think and leave a review if you have the chance!<p> 


	21. Chapter 21

Here's the new chapter! Again, and as always, thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews! I really love hearing from each of you about the chapter.

I hope you all enjoy this one!

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><p>Draco hovered outside the door to Ginny's room, wondering how best to enter. He and Ginny never got along and he knew there was friction between her and Hermione and he didn't know how she would take him. He put on his best doctor face and knocked on the door.<p>

After a few moments, he opened it and walked inside. He was surprised at seeing Pansy in the room, too, but covered it up with a slight nod to her.

"Mrs. Potter," he said in a cheerful voice. "How are you feeling? You might be a bit sore for a few days."

Hermione cast him an amused glance. "Mrs. Potter?" she mocked. She and Pansy erupted in a fit of giggles.

Draco shot her an annoyed glance, but pulled out a sandwich from his pocket and handed it to Hermione. He gave her a small smile, one that he only reserved for her.

Ginny stifled a giggle. "She's right, Malfoy. You can call me Ginny."

"Then you can call me Draco." He smiled at her and sat on the edge of her bed like he did with so many other patients. "James Sirius Potter will be back in here to take his pictures." Draco started talking to Ginny about other official things. "Do you have any questions?"

Ginny nodded. "Have either of you been able to get in touch with my mum or dad? Or Harry?"

Draco frowned. "I talked to Blaise earlier and he said he left a message at the Aurors' office. He said he tried to get in touch with your brother in Diagon Alley, but no such luck yet. You'd think with so many wizards in your family, someone would respond."

"Good thing you ended up with the only wizard doctor in the hospital," said Hermione, gesturing toward Draco. "And the best one, too."

Ginny grinned. "Why thank you, Draco. And thanks for the Quidditch mobile for James, too. Much better than that stupid doxy fairy one from Ron."

Draco slightly blushed as he looked at Hermione. He sat next to her and took the sandwich from her hand, taking a bite of it.

"Hey!" she said, swapping his hand away. "Aren't you on duty?"

He gestured back to Ginny. "I just finished. I'm on a five minute break now." He took another bite of her sandwich and looked between Hermione and Ginny. "Are you two, uh, all right now?" he asked uncomfortably.

Hermione nodded. "Yes," she said happily.

"I'm all right, too," Pansy added with a haughty nod. "Thanks for asking, Draco."

Draco rolled his eyes at her and stood up, brushing his hand against the top of Hermione's head. "I should get back to work now. Ginny, just have me paged if you need anything." He took his mobile out of his pocket and handed it to Hermione. "Blaise said he would call if he gets in touch with anybody." Hermione nodded and pocketed his phone. "I'll see you later."

Ginny watched Draco leave and waited until he closed the door before saying anything. "I think he loves you, too. Did you see the way he looks at you? You should definitely tell him!"

Hermione shook her head. "No, that's just how he is. He's nice like that now."

"That is definitely not how he is," Pansy said. "He's never been like that with me. And he and I used to 'date' at Hogwarts! You should really just tell him, Hermione."

"What if he doesn't feel the same way?"

"You can't keep bringing that up! Just put yourself out there! You saved the whole damn wizarding world, for Merlin's sake!"

"I'd rather save it again than tell Draco Malfoy that I love him."

Pansy looked at Ginny. "What do you think?"

"I think he loves you too. Did you see the way he smiled at her?"

"They've been like that for weeks! It's gotten a bit annoying actually," said Pansy. "Giving each other secret love glances and all. What really goes on at your flat when we leave?" she teased.

"Wait, he stays at your flat?" asked Ginny. She sat up in the bed, interested.

"Ever since she fell in the water after that accident," explained Pansy.

"Oh yeah, Harry told me about it," Ginny said. "I wanted to come then, but…"

"It's okay, Ginny. And Draco only stays at my flat because he didn't want me to be alone at my flat!"

Pansy and Ginny exchanged a glance. "Because he loves you!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "No, he doesn't. Not in that way, at least."

"You should ask him to the Ministry Ball," Pansy said. "It's in two weeks. Blaise is going to be out of the country," she said, pouting. "So I have to go by myself."

"You could hang out with me and Harry," said Ginny. She pointed to Hermione. "Or Draco and Hermione."

"Great, the third wheel."

Ginny laughed. She really liked Pansy now. And she was glad that Hermione was back in her life. She didn't remember too much about being in that Muggle department store. She only remembered feeling a bit too hot and passing out. When she woke up, Hermione, who she hadn't seen or spoken to in months, was with her. Pansy was also with her, soothing her and calming her down. And Draco Malfoy gave her a speech that saved her son. It was the strangest thing she had ever woken up to.

The three of them sat around, talking about other things. A few minutes later, a nurse brought the baby into the room and they cooed all over him. Pansy pulled out a bag full of things she picked up for him and they spent an hour having the young newborn try on a number of outfits.

Another hour or so later, the door crashed open and Harry nearly tumbled inside. Pansy stared at him in amusement and promptly handed the baby back to Ginny, taking a seat next to Hermione.

"Where is he? I'm sorry I'm late, Gin. I didn't know," he said, looking around the room frantically. Draco followed him inside, stifling his laughter.

"He's right here, Harry," said Ginny, with a grin. "James Sirius Potter, meet your father."

Harry approached the bed with a wide-eyed look. Draco held the door open and nodded for Hermione and Pansy to go outside, leaving them in privacy.

"You guys should probably go now," Draco said. "Give them a bit of privacy."

Pansy nodded. "I'll let Blaise know."

"Thanks, Pansy." Draco gave her a quick hug.

"I'll Floo you later," Hermione added, stepping forward and giving Pansy a long hug. Pansy nodded and headed down the hallway.

"Are you going to go home now?" asked Draco.

"What time do you get off?"

"10:30. Movie tonight?"

Hermione nodded and looked at her watch. It was 7:15. "Yeah, that sounds good."

"You could wait around, too, Hermione. Stay with Ginny. And I'm sure the rest of the Weasleys will be close behind. It'd be a good opportunity to get back in touch with them."

Hermione took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. I think I'll do that." She looked back at Ginny's room. "I don't want to go in there right now. It's their first moment as a family."

Draco nodded. "Grab some food? I'm starving." He rubbed his temple and briefly closed his eyes.

Hermione nodded and led the way to the cafeteria. They paid for their food and went to their table in the corner. "You've been working too hard lately. You look tired."

"I am. But I'm fine."

Hermione looked closely at him. "You're off the next few days, right?"

Draco nodded and rubbed his eyes.

"You should get some sleep when we get home."

"Don't look too hot yourself, Granger."

Hermione smiled and pushed a bowl of pasta in front of Draco. "Eat, too. How are your cases today? Did you have a surgery?"

Draco nodded and began to tell Hermione about his day. He liked this part about talking to Hermione. She always made him feel better. It had been a pretty frustrating day; he had a case where his patient didn't have the insurance to pay for the operation so the patient was opting out of the surgery that could save his life. He was pouring out all of his frustrations with Hermione, hoping that she could somehow help him figure something out. If not, he was just glad that she was there to listen to him.

Hermione furrowed her brow at the end of Draco's story. "Can you do it pro bono?"

Draco looked at her in confusion. The wheels were turning in his head. His hand hovered in front of his mouth as he was thinking fast about something that he had read. "I think…Hermione, you're a genius…I think…maybe if we just…or we could…I just have to…" he jumped up, gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek and bounced away.

Hermione sat at the table, wondering exactly what happened. Draco suddenly ran back and grabbed her hand. "I need your help. There's this case that I remember reading about, but I don't exactly remember where it was or what the case was about."

"Where are we going?"

"The research library here. I remember reading something about a stand-still surgery. And we may be able to do it pro bono if we do something like that. This patient…I really shouldn't tell you this, but it's the bartender from the bar across the street. We have to save him. He's a sound board for a lot of the doctors and nurses here."

"Of course I'll help. Just tell me where to get started."

Draco led Hermione into the library and shut the door. He pulled out a number of journals and handed it to Hermione while Draco settled with another stack of journals. They sat for hours, skimming through a number of articles until Hermione thought she found what Draco was looking for. She read bits of it out loud before Draco nodded and took it from her.

"I'll be back, Hermione. But go, hang out with Ginny. I'll let you know what happens, if I could get off on time tonight."

Hermione nodded. "Good luck."

"Thanks for your help, Hermione." Draco smiled at her and gave her a long hug before running down the hallway.

Hermione stared after him for a bit before walking back to Ginny's room.

"Hi Ginny," Hermione said. "Harry. James." She grinned as she saw Harry holding James. They smiled back at her. She walked over and gave Harry a kiss on the cheek and cooed over the baby.

"Hey," said Ginny. "Where's Draco? We have something to ask him."

Hermione looked concerned. "We could page him if something's wrong."

"No, nothing's wrong. The nurse said I could get discharged in the morning, but I just wanted to see him."

"He'll be in soon, I think. He might have a late surgery tonight."

Hermione sat on the other side of the already crowded bed, catching Ginny up on everything that had happened in her life since her parents died. She described to Ginny how she and Draco had grown closer and how he brought her to visit her parents' grave before she was ready to accept their death. She then told Ginny about their ensuing row and what happened after it—her realization that she loves him and her near-death experience.

Hours later, Draco entered the room with a knock. He nodded at Harry and smiled at James. He gave Hermione a hug and kissed Ginny's cheek.

"I hear you're ready to be discharged tomorrow, Ginny. Congratulations."

"Thank you, Draco. For everything."

"Will it work?" Hermione asked. "The surgery?"

Draco nodded. "It'll work."

"When are they going to do it?"

"Tonight, at 10." He rubbed his weary eyes.

"Are you staying?" asked Hermione. "I could just stay here, with Ginny, or wait for you at home. I imagine it'll be a long surgery. And you should try to get some rest before you do."

Draco shook his head. "I'm not going to stay for it."

"But it's a stand still surgery. Isn't it what you want to do?"

Draco nodded. "Yeah, but the attendings are going to do the surgery. I asked LA if she wanted to assist instead of me." He shrugged. "It's no big deal. I didn't want to keep you waiting."

"You could go do the surgery, Draco. Even if I think you should go home and rest."

Draco shook his head. "No, it's okay. I'll go home."

Ginny watched them go back and forth until she grew tired of it. "Hermione, just drop it. Draco would rather watch a movie with you instead of doing this big, expensive, once-in-a-lifetime surgery."

Draco's eyes fluttered at how Ginny described it. He nodded. "Yeah, there'll be time for that surgery later," he said to Hermione.

Ginny grinned at Hermione and winked. "Well, Harry and I are glad you both are here because we have something to ask you."

Harry nodded and sat on the bed next to Ginny. He handed her the baby. "Hermione, I don't think it's ever been a question, but will you be James' godmother?"

Hermione burst into tears. "Really? Me? Wow, thank you! Of course, I would be!" She grinned and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Harry.

"And Draco…" started Ginny. "Harry and I were going back and forth with this because we always assumed that we'd ask Ron, but…Draco, would you like to be James' godfather? You're the reason why he's alive and why I finally decided to give in, so…"

Draco was overwhelmed with a strange feeling. It felt like he was floating. "Are…are you serious?"

"Of course."

Draco glanced at Harry. "You too, Potter?"

Harry nodded. "I'm forever grateful to you for my son, my wife, and my best friend." He nodded at Hermione. "And maybe a little bit jealous that you got to hold him first," he added with a slight grin.

Draco smiled. "Um…well, yes, then. Sure."

"Great!" Ginny reached her arms up, handing the small bundle to Draco.

Draco carefully grasped the baby and smiled down at the newborn. He sat on the bed next to Hermione and the two of them looked at their shared godson.

"He's beautiful," said Hermione.

Draco nodded and looked at Ginny and Harry. "Thank you," he said softly, feeling tears pierce his eyes.

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><p>Thanks for reading! What did you think about that? Draco being James' godfather with Hermione. Let me know and review if you get the chance!<p> 


	22. Chapter 22

Wow! Thanks, thanks, THANKS for all the reviews after the last chapter! I'm glad everyone likes the idea of Draco being James' godfather. And I'm so glad that you all liked the chapter!

Here's the next chapter!

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><p>Draco and Hermione quickly left the hospital soon after Harry and Ginny asked them to be the godparents to James. When they had gotten back to Hermione's flat from the hospital, Hermione immediately gave Draco a potion for a dreamless sleep, wanting him to rest after his long hours at the hospital. She fretted around the flat, cleaning everything up and organizing and reorganizing her books.<p>

She placed the books that she had borrowed from Draco a long time ago in her own library, hoping that he wouldn't notice them missing from his own. It had been a long time since Draco last went to his flat. He had started to slowly move his clothing and toiletries into her flat so he wouldn't have to keep going back and forth. He still refused to let her stay by herself even though she was perfectly healthy after drowning. Hermione didn't resist, though. She quite liked having Draco around.

He would wake up early and have breakfast ready for the pair of them. They'd read the Daily Prophet and the Muggle newspapers and discuss whatever story interests them. Sometimes, Hermione would ask him for help on the pureblood laws that she was still working on and Draco would give her his opinion on the outdated and asinine laws. Draco told her about his patients and the cases that he had been working on.

They had quite the routine and Hermione began to look at Draco as if he was her boyfriend even if she hadn't actually said anything to him yet. She was quite embarrassed by her thoughts with him, but never voiced them to anybody, especially Pansy and Ginny, who would no doubt tease her mercilessly.

Three days later, Hermione sighed as she looked over the charts on her desk. She was working her way through a number of pureblood family trees, hoping to trace Muggle-borns to pureblood family trees. So far, she had no such luck since most pureblood families burned Squibs off of their trees, like the Black family tree had. She was currently working on the Black family tree, which was easier to work with than most since Sirius' mother had kept the names of the disgraced family members on it. Now, she just had to find out which ones were disowned and which ones were actually Squibs.

"Knock, knock," came a high voice.

Hermione looked up, a little grateful at the interruption. "Hi Pansy."

"Hey god-mama," Pansy said, taking a seat. "How's god-daddy? Isn't that awesome? You guys already share a kid and you didn't even have to get pregnant for it." She laughed.

Hermione rolled her eyes and glanced at the clock. "Hopefully, Draco's still asleep."

"I still can't believe that he chose you over a surgery. Draco would never do that! He usually chooses surgery over hanging out with Blaise or meeting up with his mum! He must really love you, Hermione."

Hermione shook her head. "He was just tired. He looked like he was dead on his feet. It had nothing to do with me."

"And that's where we disagree. It had everything to do with you. So what'd you guys do yesterday?"

"We went shopping for James. I had to stop Draco from buying him a full toy Quidditch set, complete with broomsticks. James is only two days old!"

Pansy laughed. "But weren't Potter and Ginny on the Quidditch team? I bet Draco went back and bought it anyway. He probably sent it straight to them."

"I'm sure he did. I've never understood why Quidditch was so popular."

Pansy laughed again. "Ah, life of a Muggle-born, isn't it?"

Hermione rolled her eyes again as Harry ran into her office, throwing his arms around her. "Thanks, Harry, what's this for?"

"That Quidditch set! Thanks Hermione!"

Hermione groaned, but returned the hug. "It was Draco's idea. I tried to stop him from buying it. James is much too young."

"Are you kidding? Ginny loved it!" Harry released her. "And don't worry, I think we both know it wasn't your idea anyway."

"That kid is going to be the most spoiled little boy around," said Pansy. "You'd better watch out for him, Potter."

"Says the woman who practically bought out Gladrags for him," said Hermione, dryly.

Pansy laughed. "Hey, Auntie Pansy couldn't help it."

Harry placed a hand on Pansy's shoulder and grinned at both of them. "I'm on my way back home, I just needed to drop off some paperwork. You both should come by soon. Ginny's still getting settled and her mum's at the house, too, but whenever she's ready, I'll let you know." Harry waved to both of them and ran back out of the room.

"Have they told Weasley that he's not the godfather yet?" asked Pansy, closing the door. "Cuz I'd definitely love to be there for that conversation."

Hermione glared at her. "I don't know."

Pansy was about to speak again when someone knocked at the door. "Popular today, aren't you, Hermione?" she said instead.

"Come in," Hermione called.

The door opened slowly and Ron walked in. Pansy's mouth dropped open and she looked between Hermione and Ron. "Well, speak of the devil…"

Hermione had an identical look of surprise on her face, but she tried to cover it up. It had been weeks since she and Ron had even come face-to-face and now he was here, in her office.

"Hermione," he greeted, looking at the floor.

"Ron," she replied. "What can I do for you?"

"Can I speak with you? Erm…privately?" he asked, casting a shifty glance at Pansy.

Pansy nodded. "Go ahead. You can pretend I'm not here, Weasley," she said with slight disdain in her voice.

"Pansy. Please."

Pansy rolled her eyes at Hermione, but stood up. She slowly gathered her things and walked out.

Ron waited until Pansy had closed the door behind her before taking a seat across from Hermione. He reached out and cupped her hands in his, but Hermione pulled away and rested her hands in her lap.

"What do you need, Ron?" she asked in a business-like voice.

"I just…I wanted to see how you were. I gave you some space and I…Harry told me what happened to your parents. I'm sorry."

"Thank you. I'm sorry for…pushing you away."

Ron nodded. "It hurt. Especially when you broke off the engagement. Is there any chance that you and I…since you're all healed now and whatever?"

Hermione furrowed her brow and shook her head. "And you had nothing to do with that, Ron. You didn't even realize that something was going on with me, did you?"

"Of course I did, Hermione. You broke off our engagement!"

"Because I didn't love you! Not like that. And I still don't."

"I'm not going to stop trying."

"You should move on, Ron. It's for the best. It took me a long time to move on from my parents and quite frankly, I'm glad I have."

"I heard you nearly died, too."

Hermione nodded slowly. "I did."

"What happened?"

"You can ask Harry."

"Have you seen the baby yet?"

"Yes," said Hermione. "I have."

"I suppose they asked you to be the baby's godmother, then, huh?"

"The baby's name is James, Ron."

"Right, yes, I know." Ron looked uncomfortable, but looked back at Ron. "Hermione, I know you said I should move on, but will you go to the Ministry Ball with me? Just as friends and if it leads to something more, then…"

"Ron—"

"Hermione, please. You owe me at least this."

Hermione frowned. She didn't think she owed Ron anything but an apology, which she already gave. "I'll think about it," she finally said. "If…if I don't find anyone else, then…maybe."

Ron gave her a small smile. "Then I'll look forward to it. Nobody would ask you out if they hear that I want you to be my date." He stood and failed to see Hermione's frown etch deeper into her face. "I'll see you around, Hermione."

He turned and opened the door, frowning when he saw Draco poised to knock on the office door. He shoved through Draco as if he wasn't standing there and didn't give him a second glance.

"What was that about?" Draco asked, taking a seat where Ron had vacated. He pulled out a bag of food and started to spread it on the empty space on her desk.

Hermione sighed. "He asked me to the Ministry Ball," she answered.

"Oh?" Draco froze a bit. "What did you say?"

"I said I would think about it. He said I owe it to him to go with him."

A flash of anger coursed through Draco. "What gives him the right to say so?"

Hermione nodded in agreement and shrugged.

"How's work?" Draco asked.

"Okay, I suppose. I keep getting interrupted. Pansy keeps coming in here, talking about James and then Harry came, thanking me for some Quidditch set that we apparently bought him after I told you not to buy it yesterday," Draco's cheeks turned pink, "then Ron came and then—"

"Then I showed up. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Hermione said, brushing off his apology. "You're the only one I would've wanted to see anyway. Other than James, of course."

Draco smiled. He was still dwelling on the fact that Ron had asked Hermione to the Ministry Ball. Blaise had told him about it, of course, and said that all Ministry wizards and witches were required to attend. He said he would prod Hermione to ask Draco since Draco wasn't actually a Ministry wizard to ask Hermione to it. Draco didn't really want to go because he hated being around so many wizards and witches who still saw him as the Draco he was at Hogwarts. It was a large part of the reason why he avoided the wizarding world so much.

"What are you working on?" Draco asked, trying to push Ron and the whole Ministry Ball thing from his mind.

"Pureblood family trees."

"Oh? Have you gotten to mine yet?"

"I'm working on the Black family tree."

Draco leaned forward and moved some papers off of her desk so he could take a better look at it. "You know, I've never seen this. I've only seen the Malfoy one since it's at the Manor."

Hermione looked at Draco and snapped her fingers. "The Manor! I haven't gotten to the Malfoy tree yet, but can we look at the Manor if I can't find what I need here?"

"Of course," said Draco. He continued to look over the Black tree. "Goodness, I was destined to have a bad name, wasn't I?" He laughed, pointing out some of his ancestors' names.

Hermione laughed. "I like your name."

"Great. You can have it."

"Right. I'll name my firstborn child after you."

"And I hope it's a Squib. My name's strange in the wizarding world, but in the Muggle world, it's simply atrocious."

Hermione laughed again. "I would never doom my child to lifetime of being made fun of because of his or her name."

Draco laughed. Hermione went back to her work and Draco had taken to simply just staring at her again. He loved watching her when she was at work. He could just hear the wheels turning in her head as she formulated the solution to whatever her current problem was in her head.

"Stop staring at me," Hermione said, not looking up.

"I'm not staring."

"I could feel it."

"I'm just curious at what you're writing."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She went back to her work and Draco resumed his staring. She looked up again. "If you're bored, maybe you could go down to the dungeons and see if Blaise is free."

"I'm not bored."

"Okay."

After a few moments, Draco spoke up. "Are you going to go that Ministry thing with Weasley?"

Hermione looked up and furrowed her brow. "I don't know," she answered truthfully. "I don't particularly care to go with him. I was waiting for you…or someone to ask me to it, I suppose."

"Maybe you should go with him," Draco said. His heart felt like it was tearing into a million pieces, but he ignored it. "You did sort of…end it abruptly with him…maybe there's still…something there. You were depressed when you ended it…maybe that's what he meant by you owing him."

Hermione frowned again. "I suppose so," she said. "Why are you pushing me to go with him?"

"I'm not pushing you to go with him, but I dunno…how can you be sure that you don't have closure with him if you don't go?"

"Because I don't want to go with him. I haven't been happy or in love with him for a long time."

Draco nodded. "Well…did anybody else ask you?"

"No."

"Are you going to ask anyone?"

"No…I don't think so. I don't suppose you'd go. I know you hate going to these Ministry things and venturing back into the wizarding world."

"I do." Draco nodded and stood. He felt like his lungs were closing and he was losing air. "I'm going to go and find Blaise."

Hermione nodded. "Okay. I'll see you later?"

Draco forced himself to smile and nod. "Yeah. I'll come back and we could go home together."

Hermione grinned at him. "Okay."

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><p>What do you think about this one? We're moving closer and closer to the "big reveal," but there can't be a few bumps along the way, right? Let me know what you think and please review if you get the chance!<p>

Thanks!


	23. Chapter 23

Thank you for all the reviews! I'm glad everyone sees how Draco's not too smart about how to handle Hermione and his feelings for her. Granted, she's not too smart in that department, either. Lol.

Here's the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy!

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><p>"You're an effin' idiot, Draco," Blaise said. "You should've just asked her, who cares about the damn Ministry rules? Not you, right?"<p>

Draco paced up and down in Blaise's office. "I don't know what happened. We were talking and all and…ugh!" Draco groaned. "I just want to know if she's really over him. She broke it off with him kind of suddenly and then I was there. And I was there when she was at her lowest, so of course she'd…"

"She'd what? Fall in love with you as deeply as you've fallen for her?"

"But she doesn't feel the same, right?"

"Pansy seems to think otherwise."

"Did Pansy say that?"

Blaise nodded. "She said Hermione loves you, but is too damn cowardly to admit her feelings to you. As you are to her. Why don't you both just swallow your goddamn pride and snog the hell out of each other? Then you can lock yourselves up in that little flat of hers and shag until you both can't walk."

Draco rolled his eyes. "She didn't even want to ask me to that stupid Ministry thing." He sat down and put his face in his hands.

"It's not like you wanted to go anyway."

"I don't want her to go with him."

"Then why did you tell her to go with him?"

"Hermione…she completely turned my world upside down. I love her so much and I can't get her out of my head. I even gave up a surgery, a once-in-a-lifetime surgery to spend the night with her!"

"And you didn't even get into her pants."

Draco cast him a dirty look. "What am I going to do, Blaise? What if she goes back to him?"

"You're going to fight like hell to get her back. Wait, she was never yours to begin with. So you're going to fight like hell to get her. Period."

"I have to somehow go to this Ministry thing."

"It's a Ministry Ball, Draco. Not some stupid Ministry thing."

Draco threw him another dirty look.

Blaise threw his hands up. "Fine, fine. I'm supposed to be going out of the country anyway. My mum needs me in Italy. You can go with Pansy."

And again, Draco threw Blaise another dirty look. "You're giving me nightmares about that damn Yule Ball, Blaise."

Blaise laughed. "Except this time, Pansy's married to me, doesn't give a damn about you, but yet, you'll still be drooling over Hermione. Actually, I suppose it will be just like the Yule Ball. You with Pansy, drooling over Hermione. Funny how some things don't change, isn't it? Let's hope she wears another red dress. I'm sure I can convince Pansy to make sure she does."

"It was blue, Blaise."

Blaise laughed again. "You ever wonder what would've happened if you admitted to your little crush back then?"

Draco nodded. "All the time. I don't think she would've cared for me, though. It's good that things turned out the way they did."

"Only if they turn out with Hermione screaming your name in bed."

Draco rolled his eyes and stood. "Shove it, Blaise." He walked out of Blaise's office, hearing his laughter. He walked through the Ministry halls with his head down, hurrying to an Apparition point so he could have lunch with his mother and his aunt. He hadn't seen either of them in a couple of weeks and his mother was growing anxious.

He Disapparated from the Ministry and reappeared in front of The Leaky Cauldron. Draco walked inside and nodded to Tom. He quickly scanned the room and saw that his mother and aunt were already seated and were waving him over.

"Hi Mum," he said, kissing Narcissa's cheek. "Aunt 'Dromeda." He gave her a hug and a kiss as well.

"Hello Draco," said Andromeda. "How are you?"

Draco rolled his neck, hearing the pops. "I've been better I suppose."

Narcissa shook her head. "You're working too hard at the hospital again. If you were only a Healer, Draco—"

"No, Mum."

"Leave him be, Cissy," said Andromeda with a smile. "He's doing what he loves."

Draco shot her a gracious smile.

Narcissa gave him a stern look. "How is Hermione?"

"Back at work."

"What's wrong, Draco?" Narcissa asked. She surveyed her son closely over her cup of tea.

"Nothing."

"Yes, there is."

"It's nothing, Mum."

"Perhaps it has something to do with one Miss Granger?" ventured Andromeda.

Draco shook his head, but felt his cheeks turn pink.

Narcissa's face broke into a grin. "You do love her, don't you? 'Dromeda and I have been discussing it—"

"The pair of you have been talking about me and Hermione?" Draco was aghast.

"Why, of course, Draco," Narcissa looked surprised that Draco was surprised. "Anyway, Draco, she and I quite agree that you are the only one who this belongs to." Narcissa reached into her purse and pulled out a ring box.

"Seriously, Mum? Hermione and I aren't even dating, there's no way in hell I'm going to come out with a ring."

"So you're not denying that you love her."

Draco rolled his eyes and looked at his aunt, who had a big smile on her face. "How's Teddy liking Hogwarts?"

"Stop trying to change the subject, Draco," scolded his mother. She opened the ring box and pulled out the ring. "This ring has been in the Black family for generations. You're the last Black alive."

"Shouldn't it be Potter's? Didn't he inherit the Black family fortune?"

Andromeda shook her head. "Our aunt gave the ring to Cissy since she was the last respectable member of our family left."

Draco shook his head. "I don't want it. It's been on the hand of generations of Muggle-born hating witches. It might attack Hermione if she puts it on."

Narcissa and Andromeda exchanged a look. "I didn't think about that. I suppose I'll have it looked at, then," said Narcissa. She placed the ring back in its box and shut it. "But what are you going to do about Hermione?"

"Nothing. She's going to that Ministry thing with Weasley." Draco's voice was as flat as his hair.

Andromeda gave him a sympathetic smile. "It's tough, isn't it? Falling in love with a Muggle-born."

Draco cast his aunt a look of surprise. "Oh, Aunt 'Dromeda, I didn't mean—I just—"

"You should take advantage of the time you have, Draco," she said. Andromeda gestured to Narcissa. "My parents disowned me because I fell in love with one. Your mother is encouraging you and Hermione."

"I do love the girl," Narcissa said with a fond smile. "She's very intelligent. Not at all like those floozies you used to date."

Draco furrowed his brow and shook his head. "I've missed my chance. She's going to the thing with Weasley. They used to be engaged. Of course she'd take him back in a heartbeat."

"Draco," Narcissa started. Her voice sounded impatient. "When you left the wizarding world, you went after what you wanted. You became a doctor. You were head of your class. And now you're a surgeon. Go after her. Go after what you want."

"I was running away from my life," Draco reminded his mother. "I didn't want to face them. Any of them."

"Then run to her," Narcissa said. "What have you got to lose?"

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><p>The next couple of weeks passed by in a blur. Draco spent most of the time working, trying to forget about the Ministry Ball and who Hermione was going with. He and Hermione still shared breakfast and supper together and they still talked about work, books, and other things that they found interesting, but both of them avoided the whole subject of the Ministry Ball.<p>

The morning of the Ball, Pansy dragged Hermione and Ginny out to go shopping for dresses. At first, Hermione eyed a number of pink and yellow dresses, but at Blaise's request, Pansy steered Hermione toward the blue dresses, trying to find one that closely resembled the same dress she wore to the Yule Ball so many years ago.

The three of them were on their way to becoming good friends. Hermione felt like she was already close to both Pansy and Ginny and she was glad that they, too, were becoming friends. Pansy spoiled James with presents at every chance she saw him and Ginny told her they were running out of room in the nursery to put all of his new things in.

"I can't believe you said you'd go to the Ministry Ball with my brother," Ginny said, struggling out of yellow robes. She hung them up and walked out of the dressing room to meet Pansy in the waiting area.

"Draco told me to," Hermione said, pulling on a blue dress that Pansy practically threw at her. "Otherwise, I probably would've asked him."

"Why didn't you just ask him? Even if Draco told you to?"

"Because he doesn't like going to these things," Hermione said, sighing loudly. "I didn't want to force him to go just because I have to. I would've been perfectly happy sitting at home with him, watching a movie or reading a book."

"You two are the most boring couple—noncouple around, you know that?" Pansy said. She and Ginny exchanged a laugh from the waiting area.

"Well, after all the excitement we've had in our lifetime, do you blame us?"

"No, I guess not."

"And we don't only sit at home and read. Sometimes we go out and have dinner." Hermione smoothed out the dress as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"And watch a movie," continued Pansy. "Like I said before, lame."

"We went bowling and to a few Muggle football games."

"I can't believe that you don't like Quidditch," said Ginny, "but you like Muggle football."

Hermione laughed and shrugged. "I understand it a bit more."

"Whatever you say."

"Okay, let me know what you think about this. I'm so tired of trying on dresses," Hermione said, taking a step out of the dressing room. She pulled back the curtain and took a tentative step out.

"Wow," Pansy said, her mouth dropping open. "You should buy it. It'll knock Draco's socks off."

"Draco's not even going."

"He is going," said Pansy. "He's coming with me. Blaise is out of the country, remember? And since you're going with Weasley, Draco's coming with me. Blaise told me to ask him. And he accepted."

"He's going with you?" Hermione felt the color drain from her face.

"Relax, Hermione. I'm sure he only accepted because he wants to go to the Ministry Ball someway." She smirked at Ginny. "Maybe he and Weasley will get into a brawl over your honor. Very MacBeth-like, right, Hermione?"

Hermione furrowed her brow. "I think you mean Romeo and Juliet. And we're nothing like that."

"But you'd rather go to the Ball with him, right, Hermione?" asked Ginny. She picked up James from his pram and rocked him back to sleep.

"Yes."

"So why didn't you ask him?"

Hermione shrugged, feeling very helpless. Tears pierced her eyes.

"No, no, no!" Pansy said. "You're not crying, not in that dress. Take it off."

Hermione nodded sadly and went into the dressing room and took off the dress. She gave it to a sales associate, who brought it to the counter and told them it'd be ready whenever they were.

"Why am I such an idiot over guys?"

Pansy and Ginny wrapped their arms around Hermione.

"Oh, Hermione," said Ginny. "You're not an idiot over guys."

"Yes, I am. I got engaged to Ron even though I fell out of love with him and I can't seem to do anything right with Draco!"

"Well, you broke it off with Ron before you married someone you didn't love. And…"

"You are kind of an idiot with Draco," said Pansy. Ginny shot her an angry look. "What!" Pansy exclaimed. "You are, Hermione. You should've told him how you felt weeks ago. Then you wouldn't be dreading going to this thing and you and him could officially be living together. You guys are practically living together."

Hermione sighed and blinked away her tears. "Can I get ready at your place, Pansy?"

Pansy nodded. "Good thing we found this today, then. Otherwise, you'd be wearing one of the horrendous things that you already own."

Ginny stifled a laugh and nodded.

Pansy checked her watch. "We've got about six hours before we have to be back at the Ministry."

"I'll head home now," said Ginny. She waited for Hermione to pay for her dress and walked out with them. She gave both of them a long hug. "I'll see you later. And cheer up, Hermione. I would hate spending the entire night with someone I didn't love, too, but…maybe Pansy'll let you steal Draco away for a few dances."

Pansy nodded as she waved goodbye to Ginny and James. "You could steal him away from me," she told Hermione and laughed. "Reminds me of the Yule Ball a bit. We should probably head back to the house now if we want to be ready on time."

"Is Draco…" Hermione trailed off, not really asking her question.

"No, I'm meeting him at the Ministry. We're supposed to meet up in the Atrium before going up to the banquet room."

"Oh, okay. I'm meeting Ron there, too."

Pansy gave her a sad smile. They Apparated away to Pansy's house and set down their things in the living room.

"I really think you should tell Draco how you feel. I think you'll feel better."

"I know. I'm trying really hard not to shut down on him. I promised him I wouldn't."

"From what I could see, you haven't." Pansy passed her a bottle of butterbeer. "You and him are still close. You just seem to avoid the whole subject of the Ball altogether."

"We have." Hermione sighed. "I just wish I had the courage to tell him how I feel."

"Aren't you a bloody Gryffindor? You've got that damn courage in there somewhere." Pansy grinned at Hermione. "Come on, we've got to start getting ready."

They spent the next few hours getting ready for the Ball, Pansy more excited than Hermione. Pansy fixed Hermione's hair, settling her curly hair in a messy bun atop her head, with tendrils of hair dropping from her head. Hermione got dressed, dreading every moment of the upcoming night. When Pansy finished getting ready, she and Hermione looked at themselves in the mirror.

"Cheer up, Hermione," Pansy said, squeezing her arms. "If you want to leave early, tell me and you could stay here tonight."

"What'll you tell Draco?"

"You know Draco hates those Ministry things. He'll probably go back to the hospital."

"I think he regrets giving up that surgery."

"I don't think so. Come on, we'll be late." Pansy picked up her purse and handed Hermione a small clutch.

The two of them Apparated to the Ministry and headed for the Atrium. Hermione mostly looked down, following Pansy, who kept looking all around them.

"There's Draco," Pansy said apologetically. "I won't go over until Weasley takes you upstairs to the banquet room, if you want."

"No, it's okay." Hermione looked up and saw Draco heading their way. His gray eyes looked darker than normal and his jawline looked taut. He kept his eyes on Hermione, who couldn't tear her eyes away from him. He approached them and looked at Hermione up and down, his eyes twinkling appreciatively.

"Hermione, you look…absolutely amazing," he said in a breathless voice. "Gorgeous." He took her shoulders and looked at her up and down again before enveloping her into his arms to give her a long hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, I'm your actual date to this thing!" cried out Pansy. "What about me?"

"Yeah, you look nice," Draco said, not taking his eyes off of Hermione.

"I can tell you really mean that, Draco."

Draco ignored Pansy and brought his hand to her chin, looking closely into her eyes. "Hermione, I've been meaning to tell you something," he said. "I lo—."

"Hermione."

Ron's voice interrupted them. Draco looked absolutely murderous at the interruption.

"There you are, I've been looking for you everywhere."

He cast Draco an angry look and took Hermione's hand. "Come on, let's go upstairs." Without a backward glance, he led Hermione away from Draco and Pansy.

Hermione looked over her shoulder and stared longingly at Draco.

"Come on," Pansy said, looping her arm through Draco's. "Let's just get this over with, okay?"

Draco nodded. He never took his eyes off of Hermione and watched as she and Ron disappeared into an elevator.

* * *

><p>Uh-oh...things are just heating up now. Please let me know what you think and leave a review if you've got the chance!<p>

OT question: are there any other StarKid fans here? I'm so excited for HMB on Friday!


	24. Chapter 24

Wow, it has been so long since I last updated! I'm so sorry for the delay! So much was going on in April/May, but I haven't forgotten about the story! I know it was probably at the worst spot to leave you all hanging on. Anyway, here's the next chapter!

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><p>"Ron!" Hermione cried out, wrenching her hand from his grasp as soon as the elevator doors closed. "We're only here as friends!"<p>

"I know," Ron said, confused. "Why are you mad?"

"Because you interrupted me with my friends!"

Ron shrugged. "It's only Parkinson and Malfoy."

"Yes…two of my friends!"

Ron shrugged again, still not understanding. The elevator stopped at the banquet level where the Ball was held. Ron grasped Hermione's hand and led her out of the elevator, making small talk with the wizards and witches they passed. A lot of them, Hermione noticed, gave Ron what they thought were sly winks, and for some reason, this annoyed Hermione even more.

"Hermione!"

"Oh, thank goodness. Ginny!" Hermione gave her a long hug. "Hi Harry," she said, putting an arm around Harry.

"Hullo," said Ginny. "Where's Pansy and Draco?"

"Last I saw, still in the Atrium."

"Well, they're up here now," Harry said, gesturing toward the elevator.

Hermione's eyes immediately went to Draco's and they stood, for a long time, just staring at one another. Ron came by and gave his sister a kiss on the cheek and took Hermione away to the dance floor.

"I don't want to dance, Ron!" Hermione cried out.

"It'll be fun," Ron said, reassuring her. He pulled her into his arms and spun her around the dance floor.

Draco stood near the elevators, keeping an eye on Hermione. He hadn't even looked around the room yet to see who he recognized.

"Are you going to stand here and stare at her all night?" Pansy asked, annoyed.

"I'd probably sit down sometime tonight."

"You could just ask her to dance, you know."

Draco shook his head.

"You should just tell her you love her. It's really quite irritating that the pair of you are just dancing around it. It's so blatantly obvious to us all."

"Who all?"

"Me, Blaise, and Ginny. Potter, too, probably. Hell, maybe even James."

Draco watched as Ron spun Hermione around, giving her a little dip. His eyes flashed angrily and he shook his head. "Just forget about it, Pansy."

Some witches and a wizard walked by them, throwing Draco angry glances. "Who invited you, Death Eater?"

Pansy fumed. "I did, you mangy, old hag!"

Draco rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. He stared down the witches and the wizard until they disappeared from his view. Witches and wizards like them were the reason why he hated venturing back into the wizarding world.

And he came across them nearly every single time he went back into the wizarding world.

Pansy left Draco, meeting and catching up with some of her friends. Draco settled into the background, keeping an eye on Hermione. She seemed to be enjoying herself and was smiling and looked to be laughing at Ron's jokes.

Draco furrowed his brow, keeping to himself. He stood in a corner, drinking firewhiskey. More witches and wizards hissed obscenities and profane things to him and Draco felt his blood was boiling, but he tried to ignore them by keeping his eyes on Hermione.

"You don't look like you're having much fun."

Draco looked around and saw Ginny sidling up to him. She stood next to him and faced Hermione and Ron.

"I'm not," Draco answered. "There's a reason why I ran away from the wizarding world and most of these people here are it."

Ginny gave him a sad smile. "And I used to be one of those people."

"I'm glad I could change your mind." Draco took a sip of his firewhiskey. He continued to stare at Hermione and didn't notice Ginny following his gaze.

"She loves you," Ginny said. "You know that, right?"

Draco furrowed his brow, but didn't respond. Instead, he changed the subject. "Can I ask you something, Ginny? Why did you pick me instead of your brother to be James' godfather?"

Ginny's lips thinned and she gave Draco a small smile. "You saved his life. My son's. You saved his life and—"

"It was my job. I was on duty."

"And you saved me. And in that instant, I knew that you would do anything in your power to keep my son safe and happy. You would, wouldn't you?"

Draco nodded. "Of course I would."

They stood, silently watching Ron and Hermione.

"You're a different person, Draco," Ginny said. "I hated you, you know, up until the day I gave birth to my son."

Draco smiled at her. "And now I'm your son's godfather."

Ginny grinned. "Yes, you are. You should go after her. Just go up to them and kiss her. Right there, in front of him."

"Why are you pushing me so much toward her? I would think that you would want your own brother and her to be together."

"You make her happy." Ginny turned and looked up at Draco. "And she makes you happy. She's like a sister to me. I've never seen her happier than when she is with you. You're miserable without her, aren't you?"

Draco didn't say anything.

"You should say something," Ginny continued. "Before you lose her for good."

Draco continued to stare at Hermione and Ron. He had pushed her face up and kissed her. Draco felt his heart sink and he drained the rest of his firewhiskey. He set the glass down in a fury and looked back at Ginny.

"It looks like I already have."

He turned from her and stalked toward the elevators, pushing the button furiously. He didn't turn back to the Ball, trying to forget everything that he had seen. As soon as the elevators opened, Draco stepped into it and pressed the button for the Atrium repeatedly.

Hermione roughly pulled back from Ron and had half the mind to slap him across the face.

"Ron! What are you doing! I don't love you anymore," she nearly yelled. She looked around quickly, hoping nobody had seen them. She couldn't spot Draco around the room and felt a bit panicked at it.

Ron turned red and looked embarrassed. "I thought we were having a good time tonight."

"As friends." Hermione groaned in frustration and felt like pulling her hair out.

"Hermione?" Ginny interrupted them. "Ron? What was that about?"

"Ugh! You saw that, Gin?"

"Yeah. Draco did too."

"Who cares about Malfoy?" Ron said, irritated. "I'm so tired of bloody Malfoy!"

Hermione angrily looked at Ron. "I care about him, okay!" She turned to Ginny, taking her hands. "Where is he? Where did he go?" she asked, nearly frantic.

Ron stared at her, incredulous. "You bloody love him, don't you? I didn't believe Harry, but…"

"Where did he go, Ginny?" she asked. Her heart started to race. "I have to go after him, where is he?"

Ginny didn't say anything, but pointed to the elevators. Hermione nodded and scooped up her dress, hurrying toward the elevators.

As Draco stalked out of the banquet room and toward the Atrium, more witches and wizards continued to whisper profane words to him. He rolled his eyes in annoyance and pulled on his tie, loosening it from his neck.

"Damn people," he murmured under his breath. He hurried through the Atrium, hearing the click and clack of his shoes as they echoed on the marble floor. The Atrium was empty; Draco figured everyone was probably up in the banquet room.

He nearly approached the Apparition point when he heard his name echoing across the large room.

"DRACO! DRACO!"

Draco turned around and saw Hermione running after him, holding up her blue dress. Her hair was falling out and her eyes looked slightly manic.

"What?" he simply said.

"Where are you going?" she asked, stopping a few feet in front of him.

"Home," Draco answered. "My flat."

"Oh…" His answer made her sad. "Why to your flat?"

Draco gestured toward the elevator and pointed up. "I'm tired of it, Hermione. All of it. Whenever I come back into the wizarding world, I get reminded of it. Of the Dark Mark, of the Death Eaters. So I'm leaving, I have to get away from it all again. You pulled me in and brought me back!"

The elevators dinged again, but neither Draco nor Hermione looked up to see who was there.

Draco took a step closer to Hermione. "I'm done, I'm really done now. It…everything will just remind me of you, so go back upstairs and have fun with Weasley. We can still be friends, you know where to find me if you want to have lunch or something." He turned around and walked toward the Apparition point, but stopped and looked back at her. "I'll get my stuff from your flat tonight."

Hermione looked confused. "Wait, what? No!" She took a step closer to him. "Draco, what, why?" He acted as if he didn't hear her and continued to walk toward the Apparition point. "Draco! DRACO! You promised me you wouldn't leave!"

Draco stopped and turned around. He nodded slightly. "Yeah. Well, I guess I'm still a big disappointment to you after all."

"Draco!"

"What, Hermione!"

"Why are you leaving?"

"I told you why!" Draco threw his hands up. "Just go back upstairs to Weasley!"

"NO!" Hermione yelled. "I DON'T WANT TO!"

"WHY!" Draco challenged. He held her gaze for a few seconds before turning away from Hermione and stepped into the Apparition point, ready to leave.

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, YOU IDIOT!"

Draco stopped and gave her a curious look. He took a step out of the Apparition point. "What did you say?" he asked.

Hermione slowly walked forward. "I said I love you. You idiot."

He took a step toward her.

"You promised me you wouldn't leave," she said in a small voice.

Draco nodded. "I know. I'm sorry I almost did."

He slowly walked toward her and reached out for her, but didn't put his arms around her. He cupped her face and moved the hair from her face. With his thumbs, he stroked both of her cheeks and brought his hand to her chin.

"I love you, too," he said in a quiet, breathless voice.

Hermione's face broke out in a grin. Draco continued to stroke her cheek and smiled at her. He leaned in close and inhaled.

"JUST KISS ALREADY!"

Hermione and Draco jumped in surprise and looked around. They saw Ginny and Pansy standing near them, each with identical grins, clutching each other and looking like they were getting ready to squeal.

Draco cupped Hermione's face again and grinned as he pulled her close. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. He had been close like this to her before, but it was different this time. Somehow, he felt closer. "I love you," he whispered before gently pressing his lips against hers. She pulled him close and he felt her hand on the back of his head, pushing him closer. Her other hand moved to the back of his neck, stroking it, sending shivers down his spine. He moved a hand into her hair, messing it up, unleashing the tangled curls from its updo. He pressed another hand into her back, pulling her closer to him. His tongue slipped from his mouth and tenderly rubbed against Hermione's lips. She opened her mouth, allowing him access, and held him closer.

After a long time, they finally pulled away from one another, each with goofy grins on their faces. They pecked each other's lips and hugged each other close, looking deeply into each other's eyes.

"Come on," Draco said, taking Hermione's hand. He turned toward the Apparition point. "Let's go home."

"We won't call too early, Hermione!" Pansy yelled after them.

Draco looked over his shoulder and put an arm around Hermione. "Don't call at all."

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><p>Yay, they finally admitted their feelings! What did you all think? And there's a little nod to Gilmore Girls (if anyone watched that show) and It Takes Two, that movie with Mary-Kate &amp; Ashley Olsen. A big hi-five to you if you saw it!<p>

I hope you enjoyed that chapter! And the story's not over yet!


	25. Chapter 25

Here's the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy!

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><p>The next day, Draco woke up before he opened his eyes. A grin stretched across his face, feeling the coarse curly hair of Hermione's under his chin and against his naked chest. His body was tangled with Hermione's and he rubbed his hands up and down her back, smiling at the memory of what they had done to each other the night before.<p>

After they had gotten back to Hermione's flat, they practically tore each other's clothes off and went straight into the bedroom and haven't left yet. They were up for hours, making love and simply just holding each other. During the lull moments between their lovemaking sessions, they talked to one another.

They talked about everything—their hopes and dreams and the future—things they haven't said to one another yet. They talked about how they fell in love with one another and mock-scolded each other for not saying anything sooner.

Draco grinned, feeling Hermione's wet mouth kissing his neck, leading up to his mouth. When he felt her hot breath right over his mouth, his eyes shot open.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked her, playfully. He slid his hands up and down her arms.

"You," she answered, leaning down and kissing him. She climbed on top of him and they resumed where they had left off just a few hours ago.

"Well, well, well. What exactly have I walked into?"

Draco's eyes shot open and he pulled Hermione off of him, throwing the blankets over her. She wrapped herself into the sheets and buried her face into Draco's back.

"What the hell, Blaise?" he yelled.

Blaise smirked at them. His eyes twinkled in amusement.

"Don't look at her!"

Blaise turned around and faced the door to the bedroom. "When I got in this morning, my wife told me that the pair of you got into a huge row last night, at the Ball. Evidently, my wife failed to tell me the whole story."

"Why are you here?" Draco demanded.

Blaise laughed, still facing the open door. "Pansy told me Hermione was beyond inconsolable and since I was apparently the only who hadn't tried to comfort her yet, I should be the one to come and make sure she's okay. Obviously, she is."

Draco could just hear the smirk in Blaise's voice. He lightly knocked his head against Hermione's and smiled at her. "Yes, well, she's fine," he said irritably. "So you can go now."

Blaise nodded. "Have fun, you two." He walked out of the bedroom and shut the door without looking back at them.

"I'm gonna kill Pansy, Blaise!" Hermione yelled after him.

Blaise chuckled and Hermione and Draco didn't move until they heard the familiar popping sound of an Apparition.

Hermione groaned. "I'm seriously going to kill her."

Draco laughed and he turned around so he was nearly on top of her. "So what were we doing before we were so rudely interrupted?" He kissed her and pulled her legs around him.

She grinned and laughed. "I'm hungry." Hermione kissed him and pushed him off of her. "I'll make us breakfast."

"Wait, are you planning on burning the kitchen down?"

Hermione pulled on Draco's dress shirt from the night before. "I could make pancakes."

"Just make sure your wand is nearby."

"Shut up, Draco."

Draco moved his legs over the edge of the bed and pulled on his black, silk boxers. "Actually, I better watch you."

"What, you don't trust me?" Hermione teased, running barefoot into the kitchen. She started pulling the things that she needed out of the cabinets.

"Not in the kitchen!" Draco said, following her.

He watched her every move, loving that they had finally admitted their feelings to one another and acted upon it. He loved the way she moved around the kitchen, even though she didn't really know where anything was or how to use anything. He nearly laughed out loud when she tried to mix the batter with a teaspoon.

"Really, Hermione?" he asked, with a cheeky grin on his face.

She cast him an angry look and turned away from him, picking up another spoon to mix the batter with. He stood behind her, his breath hot on her neck, and watched as she tried to concentrate on making pancakes. He brought his arms around her, hugging Hermione as he put his hand around hers to help her stir.

"Gently, Hermione," he said softly, kissing her neck.

"I can't concentrate with you right behind me," she said irritably.

Draco laughed. "I wonder why."

She turned around so she was pinned between him and the counter. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a long kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Why did we wait so long to tell each other?"

"Cuz we're both idiots."

She gave him another kiss and pulled back from him. She pushed him away from her, putting a slight space in between them and smiled at him.

The only smile that was reserved for him.

"What?" Draco asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Thank you."

"For what? Last night?" Draco's eyes twinkled mischievously and he smirked. "We could pick up where we left off."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but continued to smile at him. "For everything. For coming back into my life and for making me feel better about myself. For making me accept my parents' death. For pushing me back to my friends. Thank you." She kissed him again. "I love you."

Draco grinned. "Forget the pancakes, Hermione."

"What?"

Draco wrapped his arms around Hermione again and easily picked her up. She grinned at him and wrapped her legs around him, kissing his neck. He carried her back towards the bedroom and carefully laid her on the bed.

"I love you, too," he said softly, staring deeply into her eyes. He leaned down and gave her a long kiss.

* * *

><p>Draco and Hermione both reluctantly went back to work after a couple of days.<p>

Draco returned to the hospital with a noticeable bounce in his step, enough for the chief of surgery to even comment on it. Amanda had given him a sly smirk and he merely smiled at her, confirming her suspicions. He went through his rounds and his surgeries better than he ever had before, impressing his attendings more than he ever had in the past.

Hermione returned to the Ministry, noticeably happier than before. She smiled and grinned at everyone, making conversation with witches and wizards she had never spoken to before. She even apologized to the witches and wizards under her department for her actions and behavior in the past months.

One afternoon, after she and Draco met for lunch in Muggle London, she found her office crowded with people.

"What do you guys want?" she asked, irritably. She was still thinking about her lunch with Draco and wished she was still with him.

Ginny, Pansy, and Blaise laughed at her.

"Why have you been avoiding us now?" Ginny asked with a smirk. "Just because you and Draco finally—"

"Get it on," interrupted Blaise. "I know, I saw."

Pansy laughed. "You're welcome."

"Finally get it on," Ginny continued. "You haven't been around."

Hermione furrowed her brow. "It's only been a couple of days since I came back to work! And I had to catch up on everything." She glared at Pansy. "Besides, I was already planning on avoiding you."

Pansy laughed. "Hey. I had to get back at Blaise for making me walk in on his mum and her latest husband."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "That was funny, though."

Ginny cracked up. "I still can't believe you did that, Pansy! I was in tears when you Flooed me!"

"You did look like you were enjoying yourself, Granger," Blaise said with a wink. "Sounded like it, too."

Pansy hit him and Hermione groaned, turning pink in the cheeks. She buried her face in her hands. "I can't believe you walked in on us!"

Ginny laughed again. "Well, we just wanted to come around and make sure you didn't forget about us just because you and Draco are finally—"

"Getting it on," interrupted Blaise.

"Getting it on," repeated Ginny. She and Pansy laughed again. "We'll leave you to your work now."

Blaise winked at Hermione again as he walked out. She buried her face in her hands and waited until she heard the door shut to look up again. Ginny sat before her. She looked like she was trying very hard to not squeal out loud.

"What, Ginny?" Hermione asked, trying to avoid the redhead's eyes. She busied herself with her work.

"After you and Draco left the Ball together, Pansy and I wanted to give you two some space. You know, all that built-up sexual tension between the pair of you must've taken days to get out."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You could've told Pansy to leave her husband at home."

Ginny laughed. "That was quite funny when she told me what she did."

"No, it wasn't. Draco and I were in the middle of—nevermind."

"It was late in the afternoon!"

Hermione shook her head and looked back at her work. Ginny leaned forward. Her long, red hair brushed against Hermione's desk. "So, how was it? I mean, not all the sex and stuff, I don't think I could look at my son's godfather again if I hear any of that, but how was it? The pair of you finally admitting your feelings to one another."

Hermione leaned back in her chair and thought back to her lunch with Draco. They had gone to a Muggle restaurant since Draco was technically still on duty, though he was on break. She remembered how he was always touching her—whether it be his hand on the small of her back, or his arm around her shoulders or her waist, or his thumb stroking her hand—and grinned.

"It's nice," Hermione answered. "Draco was always very affectionate with me, but…he does it a lot more now. I like it."

"Well, he wasn't trying to be overly affectionate with you before. He was trying to hide his feelings, after all." Ginny grinned. "I'm happy for you, Hermione!" she exclaimed. "And I could tell that you're truly happy, too. Your face has this…peaceful look that's never been there when you with Ron. Even when you and Ron were going through the good times."

"Oh, Ron!" Hermione brought a hand to her face. "I've forgotten about him. I just left him that night."

"Well, I think he got the picture when he came down to the Atrium and saw you leave with Draco."

"Was he angry?"

"Of course he was. He's my idiot brother who never realized something good when he had it."

"But he and I were friends once. Do you think we could ever be friends again? We've been through a lot together."

Ginny furrowed her brow. "Would Draco want you to be friends with him?"

"Draco would just want me to be happy. And he was the one who was pushing me towards you guys. I just didn't listen to him."

"Maybe one day," Ginny answered. "I think the…hurt is still too fresh for him."

"Even though we've been broken up for months?"

"I think when he saw you leave with Draco that night, he realized that you and him really don't have a future together."

"Is he all right?"

"He'll be fine. Harry tells me he's taking it better than when we told him that he wasn't James' godfather."

Hermione grimaced. "Did you tell him that it's Draco?"

Ginny nodded and frowned. "Yeah. He didn't take it well. But he'll get over it. I know Draco will take care of James as Harry and I will. You, too."

"It's probably best if we kept our distance from one another then, isn't it?"

"That'd probably be best. Harry told me he asked for a transfer to Romania. He said he needs to be away from here for a bit. He'll probably stay with Charlie."

Hermione looked sad. She knew that he really meant he needed to be away from her.

"Just give him some time, Hermione," advised Ginny. "It's my brother. He runs away and then he comes back. That's how he's always been."

Hermione thought back to when Ron walked out her and Harry. She remembered that time all too well, but knew that Draco would never do that to her. She nodded at Ginny. "I know. It's a shame he couldn't grow from that."

"Yeah. We're not at Hogwarts anymore," said Ginny. "We have to grow up sometime."

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><p>Please let me know what you think of the chapter and review if you have the chance! The story's not over yet! Thanks for reading!<p> 


	26. Chapter 26

Hello! Thank you all soooo much for the wonderful reviews! Today's my birthday, so I decided to treat you all with two chapters! Thanks for being such awesome readers! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

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><p>Hermione wiped the tears from her eyes as she finished the end of her book. She was waiting for Draco to come out of surgery and brought along <em>Atonement <em>by Ian McEwan to read. It was a wonderful, yet depressing story that made her feel a bit sad.

She closed the book and reflected on her own life. It had changed so much in the past year and was just grateful to have lived and learned from it.

It had been seven and a half months since she and Draco finally got together. Draco still had his flat, but for the most part, he and Hermione lived in her flat. Neither of them brought up the idea of living together, but Hermione had expressed her wish to see Draco every morning when she woke up. Draco responded by kissing her and moving his things into her flat.

She didn't think it was possible, but the pair of them had grown even more closer to one another. She couldn't bear to think of him away from her and they often visited each other at work whenever they just needed to see each other.

Hermione had grown close to Draco's mother and his aunt and started accompanying Draco on his weekly lunches with them. This, in turn, brought her closer to Teddy, whom she had never been too close to despite his close relationship with Harry. She had also become better friends with Amanda and the pair of them often hung out together whenever Amanda wasn't at work. Hermione, Ginny, and Pansy continued to spend loads of time together and James continued to be spoiled by his Auntie Pansy.

Ron moved away to Romania. Hermione saw him off, along with the rest of the Weasleys and Harry, but he just gave her a quick nod and didn't say a word to her. She understood—she knew it was still probably too fresh for him. Draco didn't go to Ron's goodbye party. While Hermione insisted that he accompany her, he didn't think Ron would want it to be rubbed in his face that Draco and Hermione were together.

In Ron's absence, Harry, Draco, and Blaise grew to be good friends. Draco and Blaise welcomed Harry into their friendship, which was easy since their significant others were all so close. At every chance he got, Blaise badgered Harry with questions about Hogwarts and the Gryffindor House. And after the first few times of answering the questions as well as he could, Harry had begun to make stuff up with Draco adding things in to make the stories taller and more far-fetched.

Hermione stood up and stretched her legs. She headed for the elevators toward the vending machine, wanting to grab a snack. The elevator doors closed and Hermione shyly smiled at the one other passenger—a middle-aged man who looked troubled.

"Good afternoon," she said.

He grunted in reply.

She resisted the urge to ask him if he was all right since he had a sort of manic look in his eyes. He put a hand inside his jacket and stared at her. She looked away immediately.

The elevator doors opened and the man took a step out of the elevator. He looked back at her and opened his mouth.

"This may seem like an odd question, but do you know where I can find Dr. Eric Anderson or the chief of surgery?"

Hermione nodded. She stepped out of the elevator, but kept her hand on the door to keep it open for her. Since she was at the hospital so often, she knew where the chief of surgery's office was and directed him to the place.

"And Dr. Anderson? Do you know where he is?"

Hermione shrugged. "He might be running around somewhere. I'm not sure."

The man nodded at her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Have a good day." Hermione gave him a small smile which he didn't return.

"You too."

Hermione stepped back onto the elevator and pressed the button again. She reached the vending machine and paid for a bag of chips and slowly made her way back to the waiting area, saying hi to some of the nurses and other doctors she knew from spending a lot of her time here.

"There you are!" Draco's face broke out into a grin as he half-ran, half-walked toward her. He leaned down and gave her a long kiss.

"Sorry, I went to grab a snack. How long have you been waiting?" Hermione asked.

"Not long. I just got out." He took Hermione's hand and led her upstairs, away from the waiting area and the doors that led out of the hospital.

"How was the surgery?"

"It went fine. I could do an appy in my sleep now."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "And there goes that infamous ego."

Draco grinned. "Would you have it any other way?"

"Of course not." She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him again.

"Mmm. Salt and vinegar." Draco licked his lips.

"Oh, gag me." Amanda rolled her eyes and mimed a finger in throat.

The three of them walked down the corridor. Amanda and Draco were discussing their cases and Hermione interrupted them with questions and insights of her own. They went into a break room and sat down, still talking about the cases.

A few moments later, Amanda's and Draco's pagers beeped incessantly. They both jumped up and looked at it in fear before sitting back down.

"Lockdown?" Amanda and Draco exchanged a confused look.

"Probably just an escaped psych patient or something," Amanda said, taking a seat.

"That's horrible!" exclaimed Hermione.

Amanda shrugged. "We just can't leave the hospital. Which doesn't matter because I don't leave the hospital anyway."

The three of them continued their conversation, not thinking or worrying about anything going on outside of the break room. Draco checked his watch. "You want to grab something to eat, Hermione?" he asked.

"Sure," said Amanda.

"I didn't invite you, Amanda."

"I don't care."

Hermione laughed. "She can come, Draco. Sheesh, sometimes you're so mean!"

Draco shook his head at the pair of them. They walked out of the room, not noticing the eerie quiet of the halls, and continued to talk amongst themselves.

"Draco, are you going to be around Hermione for long?" Amanda asked.

"I plan on it," Draco said, wrapping his arm around Hermione's waist and kissing her neck.

Amanda rolled her eyes. "I mean, today! Are you going to be around her for long?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I have to tell Hermione something."

"So tell her."

Amanda narrowed her eyes at him. "Go away."

"She's going to tell me anyway."

Hermione nodded. "Unless you don't want me to."

Amanda rolled her eyes. "I guess I can't take one without the other now, huh?"

Draco grinned and entwined his fingers in Hermione's. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her. "What is it, LA?"

Amanda leaned into Hermione and whispered. "I'm pregnant!"

"What!" Hermione grinned and extracted her hand from Draco's and wrapped her arms around Amanda. "Wait…are we happy here?"

Amanda nodded. "Not planned, but…" she nodded again and grinned. "Yeah. Happy."

Hermione hugged Amanda again. She nudged Draco, who gave Amanda a look of disbelief. "You're bringing a child into the world? Sucks for the young one." Hermione groaned and hit his shoulder. He flashed a smile at her. "Congratulations, LA."

Amanda smiled. "Well, thanks, Malfoy."

"Have you told Eric yet?" asked Hermione, taking Draco's hand again as they continued to walk down the corridor.

Amanda shook her head. "I just found out a few hours ago. I wanted to tell Eric first, but I can't find him. I guess he's busy here."

Hermione nodded. "Yeah, I can only imagine."

"What are you guys doing walking around?" hissed Keating, one of the attendings. He walked up to them in a panic. He pushed the three of them into a closet.

"We always walk around," said Amanda nonchalantly.

"The hospital's on lockdown!" whispered Keating.

"Yeah, we got the page," said Draco, glancing at his pager again. He held Hermione's hand tighter. "We're inside."

"That's not what lockdown means!" Keating cried out. "It means you stay where you are and don't move!"

"What's going on?" asked Draco. He had a bad feeling and glanced at Hermione, who looked worried.

"There's a shooter loose in the hospital. Stay in here and don't come out until you're told to." Keating closed the door and walked outside.

Hermione squeezed Draco's hand. "Wand?" she mouthed to him.

Draco nodded and gestured to his pocket. He raised an eyebrow at her. She nodded and cocked her head toward Amanda, who was panicking in the corner of the closet. Draco shrugged and looked out the window.

"Calm her down, baby," he said.

Hermione nodded and immediately wrapped her arms around Amanda. "Are you all right, Amanda?"

Amanda shook her head and bent over. "Eric…I haven't even told him yet."

"You guys, get down," Draco said urgently. "Get down."

"What?" Hermione looked confused.

"Shh! He's here, on this floor. The shooter. Get down."

Hermione immediately let go of Amanda and pushed against Draco to look out the window.

"Hermione!" Draco scolded. "Get down. What are you doing?" He pushed the top of her head down so she wouldn't be seen through the windor.

"That man…that…he's the guy from the elevator!" Hermione cried out.

"What guy from the elevator?"

"There was a guy on the elevator with me and that's him. He was looking for the chief's office and…" Hermione glanced at Amanda. "Eric…"

Amanda looked like she was nearly about to pass out. "I have to…I have to get to him…"

Draco reached in his pocket and slipped his wand up his sleeve. He motioned for Hermione to do the same. "The Statute of Secrecy?" he whispered.

Hermione shrugged.

"Stay behind me," Draco warned. "We'll find him, Amanda. We'll find Eric. Hermione?"

Hermione took Amanda's hand and they quietly walked out of the closet. The three of them looked around frantically, looking for Amanda's husband and keeping an eye out for the shooter.

"Oh…Merlin…" whispered Hermione.

They stopped, seeing the shooter pointing his gun at Amanda's husband. They looked like they were exchanging words and the shooter slowly lowered his gun. Hermione felt Amanda slightly relax, but continued to hold onto her. Hermione wrapped her arms around Amanda's back, so Amanda was facing away from her toward her husband.

Someone ran out of the double doors, calling for Dr. Anderson. It was one of the interns—Katie Bender. She stopped suddenly, seeing Anderson facing the shooter and started stammering, moving backwards with her hands in the air. As soon as Anderson turned away from the shooter to look at her, the shooter raised the gun and shot his back.

Hermione wrapped her arms tighter around Amanda, dragging her back. She covered Amanda's mouth with her hands and pulled her back. Hermione pulled out her wand and cast a Silencio charm on Amanda so her screams wouldn't alert the shooter to them. She dragged Amanda back into the same closet and pushed her against the door.

"Draco's still out there, he'll do something," Hermione said, trying to reassure her. She worried about him, but felt a bit better knowing that he had his wand on her, and took the charm off of her friend.

"That's my husband out there!" Amanda yelled.

"I know! And Draco's out there, he'll do something!" Hermion yelled back. "You can't go out there! The shooter might come back and find you."

"That's my husband!" she yelled again.

"You're not going back out there!" Hermione readied herself to pull out her wand and cast a Sticking Charm on Amanda, preparing herself to break the Statute of Secrecy.

With all the force of her small body, Amanda pushed Hermione into the wall and threw open the door, running out onto the corridor. Hermione groaned and rubbed her shoulder before jumping up to run after her. She pulled out her wand, not even caring about the Statute of Secrecy anymore.

"Draco!" she yelled out, seeing him and Amanda bent over Anderson's body. She ran toward them.

"Hermione!" Draco said. "Help her."

Hermione nodded. "I'm trying."

"I have to do surgery on him."

"How?"

Draco looked around. "In that hallway, behind the double doors, there should be a row of wheelchairs. Get it!" He lowered his voice. "Or distract her and get her away so I could levitate him onto a bed."

Hermione nodded and dragged Amanda, kicking and screaming behind the double doors. She glanced behind her and saw Draco pulling out his wand and levitating Anderson behind them. Hermione saw an empty bed and shoved Amanda further into the hallway. She pushed the empty bed out the double doors, toward Draco, who levitated Anderson onto the bed.

"Let's go down to the OR!" Draco said. "Hermione, keep Amanda calm."

As they slowly and carefully walked down the halls, they ran into Bender, who sat cowering in the corner. She briefly described to them how she thought she got away.

"Come on," Draco commanded. "We'll need help. There was a cardiac surgery earlier. Hopefully, the OR team is still down there."

They resumed their slow march to the OR. As soon as they got there, Bender pushed the bed into the nearest OR and Draco quietly stalked into another OR. He nearly jumped out of his bones when he saw another one of his fellow residents pop out from behind the door. The resident briefly described to him that there were no attendings on the operating floor, but there were two scrub nurses and an anesthesiologist in the OR behind him. Draco slowly and quietly led them back into the OR where Anderson lay. When they arrived, Amanda was quietly talking to him.

Draco went into the scrub room and started to wash his hands. "Hermione," he said softly. She immediately went to his side and nuzzled into him.

"Draco…"

"Take care of her. Take care of Amanda. Don't let her in the OR. Don't let her even peek into the window."

Hermione nodded.

"If you must, use your damn wand to hold her back."

"The Statute of Secrecy…"

"Forget the damn Statute," Draco said, scrubbing his hands. "She saved your life. I have to save him. For her."

Hermione nodded.

"You're the most level-headed person I know, Hermione. If there was ever a life-or-death situation, you're the only one I'd trust to help me out of it. You're the only one that I trust with my life. Keep her calm, okay? I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered. She leaned up and gave him a kiss before helping him with his face mask.

Draco gave her a kiss on the forehead through his mask. "I love you," he repeated.

"Amanda!" Hermione called into the OR. "Come here, please."

"I can't have you in there, Amanda," Draco said. "Stay with Hermione. I can't have you there."

Tears filled her eyes, but she let Hermione lead her into the scrub room. "Save him, Draco. Please."

Draco nodded and looked at Hermione. "I'll try."

Hermione took Amanda's hand and the pair of them sat down against the sinks.

"Distract me," Amanda said. "I can't think about Eric right now."

Hermione pulled out her book. "Do you want me to read to you?"

Amanda shook her head. "Tell me a story. But don't read to me. Just make one up. Something completely out of this world. I just need to be distracted."

Hermione nodded. "Did you hear about how Harry Potter saved the wizarding world?"

"Your friend, Harry Potter?"

Hermione nodded again. "You want me to tell you a story about witches and wizards and a war that nearly destroyed the wizarding world?"

Amanda gave Hermione a disbelieving look through her eyes, but she smiled. "You have a crazy imagination. But yes, please tell me."

"I'm in it. And Draco's in it."

Amanda smiled and laid her head on Hermione's shoulder. "Tell me."

Hermione put an arm around Amanda's shoulders and proceeded to tell her everything about Hogwarts. She started from the very beginning in their first year and went through each of her school years, describing to Amanda the adventures that she, Harry, and Ron went through.

When Hermione finally finished, Amanda looked at her. "Thank you," she whispered. "You do have an extreme imagination, though. An evil wizard with no nose? A whole magical world hidden in the middle of London? That could never happen." Amanda gave her a small smile. Hermione rubbed Amanda's shoulders. "How is he doing in there? Draco? It's been a long time."

"I'm not sure," Hermione answered.

"Why don't you look?"

The door opened at once and Amanda and Hermione jumped.

"Dr. Keating!" exclaimed Amanda. "My husband's in the OR and Draco's operating on him! What's going on in there? Does he need help?"

Hermione noticed a stricken look in Keating's eyes. She instantly knew that something was wrong.

"I…it looks like he's doing okay in there. I'm just going to go in and see if he needs any help." Keating pulled on a face mask and walked into the OR. He looked back at Amanda and Hermione. "You two just stay down, okay? Just stay right there." He looked at Hermione. "You're Malfoy's girlfriend, right?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes."

"Just stay there." He turned from them and walked into the OR.

"Well, that's good, right?" said Hermione. "Isn't he the cardio doctor, anyway?"

Amanda nodded. "I just have…I just have a bad feeling." Amanda tried to stand up, but Hermione pushed her down.

"No, Amanda. Just let Draco do his work."

"Hermione!" She pushed Hermione away and knelt up to peek over the sink. "Hermione, the shooter's in there!" She jumped up and Hermione followed.

The shooter was aiming the gun at Draco's temple, but Draco's eyes grew more stony as he continued to work, ignoring the gun inches away from his head. Keating was in there, talking to the shooter. Before she could register what happened, Amanda ran into the room.

"Amanda!" yelled Hermione. She pulled out her wand and followed her into the OR.

"I'm his wife," Amanda was saying to the shooter. The shooter pointed the gun to her.

"Hermione," Draco said in a warning voice. "Get her out of here."

"I'm his wife!" Amanda yelled.

Hermione slyly aimed her wand at the machines. At once, they started to flatline. Amanda started sobbing and screaming. She dropped to her knees. Draco glanced at Hermione suddenly and gave her a slight nod.

"It's over," Draco said. "It's over. He's flatlined, he's done."

The shooter seemed to be satisfied with the answer and quickly left. Hermione reached down and scooped Amanda in her arms. She aimed her wand to the machines and they started beeping again, to the surprise of the anesthesiologist and the other doctors.

"Back to work, everyone," Draco commanded. "Hermione, get her out of here."

Hermione scooped Amanda into her arms and dragged her out into the scrub room again. She wrapped her arms around her and hugged her until she quieted down. Amanda had fallen asleep, thoroughly exhausted, and leaned heavily on Hermione.

Finally, the OR door opened and Draco emerged from it. He quickly washed his hands and sat down next to Hermione.

"How will he be?" she asked quietly.

"He's going to be fine. They're in there, cleaning up. But he's going to be fine," Draco said. "How is she?"

"Asleep."

Draco nodded. He put an arm around Hermione and kissed her. "Quick thinking in there. I may not be alive if it wasn't for you."

"But…you're a wizard, Draco," Hermione said softly. "Would he have been able to kill you with a gun?"

Draco nodded again. "I'm still a human being, Hermione. Just with extra abilities and a whole different world. Blood still runs through my veins." He stood up and leaned down to pick Amanda up. "Come on, let's bring her to a bed."

Hermione nodded and held the door open for Draco. They went to the nearest hospital room with a clean bed and Draco gently placed Amanda on top.

"If I get her to drink a Sleeping Draught…"

"It won't work on her. She's a Muggle."

Hermione nodded. "Should we stay with her?"

Draco nodded. "Sit down." Hermione took a seat and pulled Draco into the seat next to her. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"That was terrifying, Draco."

"I know."

"Do you think they caught him?"

"I don't know."

"I hope so."

"Me too." Draco reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box. "I picked this up today, me and Blaise." He held it up to her and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "I love you, Hermione."

Hermione opened her eyes and stared at the box. "Draco? Really?"

"The last few months have been the happiest of my life. And I didn't plan on doing this now, but…I don't think there'll be any other better time. I love you and I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Draco…"

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He opened the box with one hand and dropped to one knee. "I know it's fast, but we could have a long engagement, as long as you want. I just…I don't want us to dance around again, even though we want to be together. And I just want you to know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to spend every minute with you. Loving you. I want you to be my wife."

He looked earnestly up at her and held the ring box up toward her.

"Will you marry me?"

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><p>There's that chapter. Please review and let me know what you think!<p>

This episode of Grey's Anatomy was probably one of my favorite season finales. It was pretty heartbreaking and surprising, but I loved it all the same.

Thanks for reading!


	27. Chapter 27

Here's the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy!

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><p>The large diamond sparkled brightly as Hermione raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun. She was running late to a meeting with her future mother-in-law and hurried down the street to enter the Leaky Cauldron.<p>

"Hi Tom," Hermione said, looking around. "Have you seen…oh, there she is." Hermione flashed Tom a smile. "I'll have a butterbeer when you get a chance. Thanks!"

"Hermione!" Narcissa stood up from her seat and she kissed Hermione's cheek. "It's wonderful to see you."

"You too! I'm sorry I'm late. I was actually just starting up on the Lestrange family tree."

Narcissa nodded. "How is your work going?"

"It's hard, but…I get through it." Hermione smiled at Narcissa. "I'm looking forward to the Malfoy family tree when I reach it."

"There are some entertaining stories about Draco and Lucius' ancestors. Gruesome, yet entertaining."

Hermione grimaced. "Draco mentioned the family tree at the Manor. He told me that I should look at it whenever I start the Malfoy tree."

Narcissa surveyed Hermione over the top of her cup and nodded. "There are a number of resources for you to use at the Manor that would aid you in your work." She lowered her cup and narrowed her eyes. "Do you envision yourself living at the Manor?"

Hermione frowned. "I…I never thought about it before. I…I don't know. It—well, when I think of the Malfoy Manor…sometimes I think about…Bellatrix…"

"I'm sorry about that." Narcissa placed a hand over Hermione's and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I really am." She picked up Hermione's hand and looked closely at the ring she wore on her finger. "It's absolutely beautiful. Very fitting for you and Draco." She pulled out a ring box and pushed it toward Hermione. "This is for you."

Hermione reluctantly reached for it and slowly opened it. It was the same ring Narcissa had shown Draco, the one that had been in the Black family for generations.

"Oh, my…this is so beautiful!"

"It's yours," Narcissa said. "It's been in the Black family for years and generations. My aunt passed it on to me when Bellatrix was arrested and thrown in Azkaban and Andromeda was already disowned. I was the last of the Blacks since Sirius was also disowned."

Hermione took the ring out of the ring box and was about to put it on her finger.

"When I showed it to Draco so he could give it to you, he expressed concerns over the fact that it might be charmed to kill or maim Muggles or Muggle-borns."

Hermione looked worried and set the ring onto the table.

"But I had it looked over numerous times, so it's truly and completely safe. And it's yours to put on. Might I say, that I presented this to Draco before you two were even dating."

Hermione shook her head. "No, I'm not a Malfoy yet. Or a Black."

"But you will be. And Draco is a Black," Narcissa said. "Put it on."

Hermione reluctantly put the ring on her ring finger on her right hand. She held her hand out, staring at the ring.

"I am really happy that Draco has found an equal that he wants to spend the rest of his life with. And I love you, Hermione."

"I love you, too, Mrs. Malfoy."

Narcissa smiled. "You must stop calling me that. You can call me, Mum, you know."

"Okay…Mum."

"Unless it makes you feel uncomfortable."

"No…it feels nice…thanks, Mum." Hermione looked down at the ring again and grinned at her future mother-in-law.

Narcissa grinned and pulled out a notebook. "Well, let's get started on the wedding planning, then, shall we?"

Hermione nodded and grinned. She started expressing everything that she had wanted for her wedding and everything that she and Draco talked about. She wanted a short engagement, knowing that she wanted to be Draco's wife as soon as possible. She thought about how disinterested she was in planning her wedding to Ron, how most of the ideas were from Mrs. Weasley, and knew that she never should've let it get as far as it did. Narcissa offered to help with the planning and promised to use all of Hermione's wants for the wedding instead of adding in her own flair.

She stopped mid-speech and reached out a hand to her future mother-in-law. "Thank you. Mum."

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><p>Four months later, Draco led Hermione into his ancestral home in Wiltshire. He used his wand to unlock the front door and explained to Hermione that there were wards that prevented non-Malfoys from Apparating directly into the house.<p>

"Once you and I are married, though, you'll be able to Apparate anywhere in the house," Draco said.

"Wow, did you do that? Or your father?" Hermione asked.

Draco shook his head. "My ancestors. The magic grows more powerful with each new generation of Malfoys."

"How did they find this place?"

Draco shrugged. "I don't know. But we're actually in a Muggle area. But the estate stretches out to more acres than I know, so you won't find any around. Blaise and I tried to walk the grounds once when we were younger. We were reprimanded for leaving the house."

"Why this place? Around Muggles?"

"What better place to hide from other wizards and witches than amongst Muggles?" He gave her a kiss once they reached the entrance hall and looked around. "I haven't been here in years."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Not since my mum first moved out to stay with my Aunt 'Dromeda."

Hermione looked around. "But it's so clean."

"House-elves."

Hermione cast him an angry look. "Draco—"

"They're paid and wear clothes, Hermione. My mum was sure to do that when she heard what you were trying to do for them years ago."

Hermione nodded and smiled smugly. "Oh, okay."

"The library's upstairs. The family tapestry is in my father's old study upstairs, too." He took her hand and led her through the house. "Do you want a tour first?"

"Sure."

Draco led Hermione through the labyrinth that was his house. He avoided the basement, remembering how it was used to house the prisoners during the war. He felt her freeze as they passed by the closed doors of the drawing room.

"You don't have to go in there, you know," he said.

"I know. It just…it still brings back nightmares, you know?"

"Yeah. It does. My mum changed things around in there."

"Can I see?"

"Are you sure?"

Hermione nodded. "I'm sure."

"Okay." Draco took her hand and opened the double doors to the drawing room. Hermione was surprised at how different the drawing room looked now.

The chandelier still hung in the center of the room, high and proud over them. But the rest of the room was now filled with bright colors and new furniture from what Hermione could remember.

"My mum hated what happened here," Draco explained. "So she changed it. Got a lot of crap from the paintings, too, so she charmed them to stay silent."

Hermione looked around the room and saw generations of Malfoys glaring back at her.

"Yeah, they wouldn't like you too much. We don't have to go in here, though. The house is big. I rarely stepped foot in here until it was used for the Death Eater meetings."

Hermione nodded. "Can I see the rest of the house?"

"Sure."

Draco took her hand and led her around the house. He briefly showed her all of the extra rooms that they had and took her outside for a walk on the grounds. The white peacocks that his father brought to the Manor still stalked around the grounds like they owned the place.

"The house-elves feed them," Draco explained.

"Where are the house-elves?"

Draco shrugged. "I imagine once they've completed their duties, they return to their homes."

"Oh, they don't stay here?"

Draco shook his head. "No. My mum told them they didn't have to, especially since there were no masters to serve here. They all have their own homes and families."

Hermione grinned at him and gave him a kiss. "I love you, you know that?"

"It was all Mum's doing."

"Yeah. And I love her, too."

Draco grinned and wrapped his arms around her. "Come on, I'll show you the tapestry now." He led her back into the house, into his father's old study.

She immediately went to the wall where the tapestry was and looked at the very bottom at Draco's name. She traced the family tree upward, noting that the Malfoys usually just had one child—a boy.

"You could look through my father's desk, too."

"Will anything…curse me in there?"

Draco laughed and shook his head. "No, but that's a pretty fair assumption. After the war, the Ministry went through the whole Manor and took away anything that was considered a Dark Artifact or anything with Dark Magic. And after my father passed, I went through his desk and got rid of a lot of other things. He has a lot of family history stuff in there. I could look in the library for the geneaology books, too."

"I'll come with you," she replied, excitedly.

"I should've known." Draco took Hermione's hand again and led her to the library. She gasped at the sheer amount of books and walked through, running her hands alongside the spine of them. "Once we're married, you could get started on reading all of these." He laughed.

Hermione glared at him. "I plan on it," she said. "Did you read all of these?" she asked in an innocent voice.

"Why, are you jealous?" Draco smirked as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Maybe just a bit."

Draco smirked again and kissed her neck. "No. There are way too many books in here to read. And who cares to read those geneaology books, anyway?"

"I do!"

"Oh yeah." Draco laughed again as he pulled away from her. He reached for the heavyset books and set it on the desk. It opened with an inch of dust emerging from the pages. "Obviously, they haven't been opened in years." He pulled out a chair. "You could just sit down and start reading."

"Thanks, Draco." Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently. She trailed a line of kisses down his jawline and down his neck. "I love you, you know that?"

Draco grinned. "I know." He sat her on the desk and kissed her deeply. "And I love you, too."

"And I can't wait to be your wife."

"Me too," he replied. He gave her another kiss before suddenly pulling away.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, looking concerned. "Are you all right?" She pressed a hand to his cheek.

Draco nodded. "Why do we have to wait?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Why should we wait to be married? Why do I have to wait for you to be my wife?"

Hermione looked confused. "What are you talking about? Do you want to get married now?"

"Yes. I want to marry you now. I wanted to marry you months ago, when you cried your eyes out in my arms and told me about what happened that night of the accident, but I waited then. Why should I wait now?"

"Because…we're planning a wedding! Your mum and I have been planning for—"

"For four months. I proposed to you four months ago."

"And the wedding will be in—"

"In too long. I want to be married to you now."

"But—but"

"But what?"

Hermione found herself at a loss for words.

Draco grinned and extracted himself from her arms. He rummaged through the desk and pulled out a pad of Muggle Post-It notes and a liquid pen. "So? What do you want our vows to one another be?"

"We can't get married on a Post-It note!"

"Sure we can." Draco smiled and leaned down, so he was nearly sitting on the floor, but not really. "I want to be with you forever. And you want to be with me forever. So let's make our vows."

"Using a Post-It?"

"Using a Post-It." Draco's pen hovered over it and he looked at Hermione. "What do we want to promise to one another?"

Hermione grinned. "Are we really doing this?" Draco nodded and kissed her nose. "Okay…that you'll love me…even when you hate me or think I'm annoying."

Draco laughed and wrote it down. "Okay. We'll love each other even when we hate each other." He looked deeply into her eyes. "That we'll never run out on each other. We'll never leave each other."

"That we'll always take care of each other." Hermione grinned. "Even and especially when we're old and gray." Her grin grew wider as she watched him write her words on the yellow Post-It pad. "That we'll never shut down on each other."

Draco nodded and quickly wrote down her words. "…never shut down on each other…there." He quickly signed the bottom of the Post-It and passed it to Hermione. "Sign at the bottom, my bride."

Hermione giggled and took the pen from Draco. She quickly signed the bottom and passed it back to him. Draco carefully placed it on the desk and wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist.

"And now what?" asked Hermione. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"And now I kiss the bride." Draco grinned and nuzzled Hermione's nose before leaning down and giving her a long kiss. "And now we enjoy our wedding night." He moved his hands down her arms and around her waist.

Hermione wrapped her legs around Draco's waist. He closed his eyes and kissed her again before quickly leaving the library. His feet fell into the same habit that they always had, even with his eyes closed. Since he had spent so many long nights in the Manor's library when he was younger, he could retrace his steps back to his bedroom in his sleep. He opened the door to his bedroom with a quick turn of the knob and laid her on his bed, kissing her deeply. He pulled back to take off his shirt and Hermione sat up, looking around.

"How…green…"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Hello, Slytherin, remember?"

Hermione nodded. "I remember. But I didn't have Gryffindor red splashed all over my walls."

Draco shook his head and leaned into Hermione, nipping at her neck. "You're wearing far too many clothes, my Gryffindor bride."

Hermione leaned back on Draco's pillows and laughed. She pulled off her shirt and reached up to her new husband.

"Come here, my idiot groom."

* * *

><p>Hermione awoke the next day, smelling Draco and feeling his arms around her body. She sighed happily, remembering their Post-It wedding from the night before. She didn't care that it wasn't legal, in her mind she thought of them as married. And she thoroughly enjoyed her first night as a wedded woman. Hermione opened her eyes and properly looked around his bedroom for the first time.<p>

Like she had earlier seen, it was very green, lined with silver and black. There were no posters on the wall—in fact, the room looked as immaculate as the rest of the house.

She pulled herself from Draco's grasp, but he kept pulling her back into his embrace. She looked at him, glaring, but saw that his eyes were still closed. He was breathing heavily and had a peaceful look on his face, so she knew he was still asleep. She smiled to herself and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She untangled herself from his grasp and slipped Draco's shirt over her head.

She silently crept to the door and looked up and down the hallway, trying to remember how to get back to the library. She walked down one side of the hallway and went to the furthest door, remembering that the library was at the end of the hallway. Hermione placed a hand on the doorknob, but was stopped by another hand on top of hers.

"That was my parents old bedroom," Draco whispered in her ear. "I think the room you're looking for is at the other end of the hallway." He kissed her neck.

"How would you know?" Hermione asked turning around, trying to prove him wrong.

Draco smirked. "Because I know you." He leaned down and gave her a long kiss. "And I love you, my new wife. I missed you when I woke up." He took her hand. "Let's have breakfast before you get lost in your work. But you might want to put some knickers on first. I don't think the paintings will like that very much. Nor my mother. Who's meeting us for breakfast so we can talk about the wedding. Shall we tell her that we are already married?"

Hermione gasped and hit his shoulder. "Is she here yet?"

Draco laughed. "I don't think so. I just woke up. Come on, we could get showered and dressed in my bedroom."

"She asked me if I could see myself living here, you know. Your mum." They entered Draco's bedroom and she sat on his bed. Draco pulled some clothes from his closet and transfigured it to fit Hermione. "She said this house has been in your family for centuries and generations of Malfoys have lived here."

Draco nodded. "Yes. But we don't have to live here if you don't want to. Have you thought about it?"

Hermione shook her head. "Not really. I always just assumed we'd stay at the flat."

"And when we have children?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know."

"We don't have to stay here, you know," Draco said. "We could live at your parents' old house once we have children."

Hermione shook her head. "I haven't talked to you about it yet, but I was thinking about selling it." She looked around his bedroom and took a towel from him. "I could see myself living here."

Draco raised an eyebrow and sat down next to her. "Really? We don't have to, you know. We could live somewhere else."

"No, like I said, I could see myself living here. I am, after all, technically a Malfoy now, aren't I?"

Draco smiled when Hermione referred to herself as a Malfoy, but faltered a bit at her question. "Even with…everything that happened to you here?"

"It was a long time ago, Draco. This house is a part of you, even if you try to deny it. Just like the wizarding world. It's a part of you, too, you know. And this house…it will always be a part of you and our children should know it."

Draco smiled at her. He gave her a long kiss. "I love you." He gestured to the bathroom. "Go shower. If I go in there with you, we won't come out in time to meet my mum." He winked at her. "We are a newlywed couple, you know."

* * *

><p>Meredith &amp; Derek's Post-It wedding was one of the cutest things on Grey's Anatomy and I just had to incorporate it somehow with Draco &amp; Hermione. Please review and let me know what you think!<p>

Thanks for reading!


	28. Chapter 28

Here is the next chapter. It's the second to last chapter and it's brought me a bit of sadness. I've really enjoyed working on this story so far and I'm really glad that you all enjoy reading it! But here you go! And I hope you all enjoy this!

* * *

><p>Draco straightened his black tie in the mirror and fixed his black suit. He paced up and down his bedroom, looking out the window every so often. His mother was in the gardens of the Malfoy Manor, directing the workers around the estate.<p>

It was the day of his and Hermione's second wedding and he couldn't be happier.

His mother was extremely irritated and even a bit angry when she found out that Draco and Hermione believed themselves to be married by the Post-It. She completely ignored it and took on the full brunt of the wedding planning, though she always asked Hermione for her input, putting her desires for the wedding before Narcissa's own thoughts for the wedding. Hermione and Draco decided to go along with Narcissa's wishes, knowing that she felt a bit cheated out of a wedding for her only son since they counted their Post-It as their wedding.

It was now framed and hanging over the king-sized bed in the master bedroom of the Malfoy Manor.

Narcissa continued with the wedding planning and the only thing Draco requested was that it be more of a Muggle-type wedding, so Amanda and Eric and some of his other friends from the hospital could go. The only people from the wizarding world he expected were his aunt, his cousin, Blaise and Pansy, and Harry and Ginny. He knew Hermione also invited the rest of the Weasleys, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood, but he never found out if any of them were actually coming.

He wanted the wedding to be small since he and Hermione were not the ostentatious type and Hermione vehemently agreed. They decided to have it at Malfoy Manor after Hermione and Draco's Post-It wedding five and a half months ago. Since then, they'd gone back and forth between staying at their flat and at the Manor. Hermione grew more comfortable in the house and even took the silencing charms off of a few of the paintings, spending long hours talking to Draco's ancestors. Draco thought she was a bit mad for doing so, but she enjoyed it all the same. Narcissa protested against having the wedding at the Manor, even offering up her own cottage since it was small, but Draco and Hermione won her over in the end. Narcissa didn't want them to have the stigma of the Manor looming over their wedding day, but Draco and Hermione insisted.

Draco stayed for a week at the Manor leading up to the wedding while Hermione stayed at their flat. He hated going to sleep every night since he was so used to falling asleep holding her and waking up to her. They spent every night on their mobiles together and Draco was tempted to Apparate to her side, but his mother was staying at the Manor as well. It was her only request that they be apart for the week leading up to the wedding and she warned them with an amusing look that it would make their wedding night all the more better. Draco burned the image of his mother talking about his wedding night from his brain and he sincerely doubted that any night between he and Hermione would be as good as the first night after the Ministry Ball or even the night of their Post-It wedding. And Narcissa absolutely refused to even acknowledge the Post-It as their official wedding.

So he and Hermione followed his mother's instructions, albeit begrudgingly and unwillingly.

"You ready, mate?" Blaise asked, entering Draco's old bedroom with a knock.

Draco looked away from the window and nodded, grinning widely. "Never been more ready for anything in my life. Is she here yet?"

"Going to sneak off to see the bride? Your mother would have my head." Blaise sat down on Draco's bed. He shook his head and took an old Snitch from Draco's nightstand and started playing catch with himself. "Nah, she's not here yet."

"How long until we start?"

Blaise smirked. "Impatient, are we?"

"Shut up, Blaise. I still haven't forgiven you for walking in on me and Hermione that one time."

Blaise laughed. "And yet I am still going to be standing up there next to you as your best man."

"I would have no other." Draco sat down on the bed. "I never thought I'd be getting married. To Hermione Granger, no less."

Blaise laughed again. He clapped a hand to Draco's hand. "And it's a real wedding. Not like that note you and her keep going on and on about. Pansy's still angry that we weren't invited to that one."

"Nobody was invited to that one."

Blaise laughed. "I assume I already saw everything that happened that night, didn't I?'

Draco rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I love her." He smiled and leaned back on his bed, thinking about Hermione.

* * *

><p>"Are you nearly ready, Hermione?" Harry asked, knocking on the door to the bedroom.<p>

"Yes," Ginny called. "Come in, Harry. I just need to put a freezing charm on her hair and she'll be perfect."

Harry pushed open the door and nearly gasped at the sight of Hermione in the mirror before her. "Wow, Hermione. You look great." He gave his wife a kiss on the cheek. "You, too, Ginny."

"Thanks," Hermione said, blushing a bit. "Thank you for giving me away today, too."

"Of course." He tried to kiss her cheek, but his wife pushed him away. "Don't mess up her makeup! You know she hardly ever wears any, so this is a special occasion."

"Of course it is," Harry said. "Her wedding day. To Malfoy." His nose wrinkled and he laughed. "But I am glad it's him, though. You two deserve each other."

"We should be getting on our way," Ginny said. "We don't want to be late, especially you, Hermione."

"Oh, of course not." Hermione stood up and carefully scooped up her dress. Harry helped her move to the living room while Ginny fretted around the room, picking up last minute things and counting down on her fingers.

"Mrs. Malfoy has the flowers, Pansy's bringing James, Mum has my purse." She looked around and smoothed down her hair. "I think I'm ready."

Harry shot her an amused glance. "Good." He looked at Hermione. "Now, is the bride ready?"

Hermione laughed and nodded. "Never been more ready for anything in my life. Especially since this is the second time I'm marrying him."

"That note does NOT count!" yelled Ginny, waving her finger at Hermione.

Hermione and Harry laughed. Clearly, she felt the same as Hermione's mother-in-law.

Harry kissed his wife's cheek and held out his hands to his wife and his best friend. They grasped it tightly and turned on the spot to Disapparate away.

Draco and Blaise walked down, onto the Malfoy grounds once the music started. Blaise clapped a hand to Draco's back and grinned as he stood next to Draco before the small crowd of people. Draco nodded to Kingsley, who was performing the ceremony, before turning to face his and Hermione's friends and family.

He glanced around and nodded at some of his friends from the hospital. He never befriended people easily and the people he did invite from the hospital, he did consider as friends. Scott Greene was there, with his wife, a witch. So were Eric and Amanda Anderson, with their baby, Anna, who was born six and a half weeks before schedule, causing a bit of a scare for the couple. Amanda held up the healthy Anna, making her wave to Draco from her seat. Draco smiled at his closest friend from the hospital.

He had never been friends with Neville Longbottom, but Hermione considered him to be a good one. Draco remembered that Longbottom had always been one of the subjects of his torture and while they both remembered it, they were civil to one another when they saw each other and neither brought it up. He had shown up to the wedding with Hannah Abbott and the pair of them were sitting with Luna Lovegood.

Prior to becoming friends with Hermione, Draco had never said a word to the Lovegood girl. He always thought she was strange when they were at Hogwarts and preferred to keep his distance rather than engage her in any type of verbal sparring. But now, while they weren't exactly friends, Draco found her to be entertaining and amusing. Especially when she and Hermione vehemently disagreed on something. Those were the only arguments that Hermione ever lost, even if she was right.

Draco looked around, listening to the music. His eyes settled on a number of redheads that he had longed ridiculed. After Hermione apologized to the Weasley family, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley in particular, they welcomed her back with open arms. But on her part, things were different. Hermione didn't venture back to the Burrow unless it was a special occasion instead of visiting every week like she did when she and Ron were together. She loved them, Draco knew, as another family to her, but she knew they were a little hurt at Hermione choosing Draco. He knew that Mrs. Weasley never particularly cared for him, not forgiving Draco for his participation in the near-death of her son during his sixth year at Hogwarts.

But of all the people in that family, Draco was on good terms with George. He knew that the Weasley twin hadn't been the same since his brother died in the war and they somehow bonded. Draco recommended that he talk to Scott Greene and while Hermione pushed Greene away, George welcomed him with open arms and finally seemed to be getting better.

His eyes surveyed down to the front row, where Pansy was sitting with James. Draco knew that Ginny's mother would have preferred to be the one holding her grandson, but he and Hermione both wanted their godson to be close to them when they declared their love for one another before everyone.

He loved that little boy with all of his heart, even if he was the son of his biggest rival growing up. He loved taking care of James and seeing him grow before his very eyes. The child was already a year old and Draco could still remember when he was small enough to fit in one hand. He didn't like that he was growing up so fast, but Draco couldn't wait until James was old enough to play Quidditch.

He glanced at his mother, who was already sobbing her eyes out. His aunt sat next to his mother, holding her hand and smiling at Draco. Teddy sat next to her, looking a bit bored. He wore his father's brown hair for the day after his grandmother expressly forbid him to change his hair or any feature of his appearance before the Muggles that were invited. Teddy stuck his tongue out at Draco and Draco resisted the urge to laugh. He still hadn't forgiven Draco for telling him that Hogwarts was going to chuck him out.

Draco felt Blaise nudge his side and he turned his attention back down the aisle. Ginny walked down, in time with the music, and winked at him as she passed him to stand in front of Kingsley.

The music slowed down and Draco fought the urge to run down the aisle and drag Hermione back himself. He was nearly jumping on his spot as he waited for Hermione and Harry to appear at the end of the aisle.

As soon as she turned the corner and appeared before him, Draco felt his heart jump.

She looked so beautiful, more than anything and everything he had ever seen before. Her veil didn't cover her face, instead it flowed behind her. He liked it better that way; he loved seeing her face. Her grin stretched so wide that it covered her face. Draco knew she, his mother, Ginny, and Pansy spent hours looking for and trying on dresses, but Draco saw past it and was just happy to look into his bride's eyes.

Her eyes sparkled more than Draco had ever seen before. They danced in a passionate sort of way and shone brighter than ever before.

Her grin lowered into a smile, the one that she reserved just for him. A brief look of sadness passed over her eyes and Draco knew she was thinking about her parents.

He wished they were there, too.

She suddenly glanced up as if someone was calling her. A light breeze flowed through the air and a fresh gardenia seemed to be floating down toward her. Hermione's eyes flashed happily and she reached up to grab it. She held it up at Draco and smiled at him.

He gave her a slight nod and a matching smile.

She held it tightly in her hand and looked at Harry and nodded. The pair of them finally made their way slowly down the aisle.

"Finally," Draco thought. "She's finally going to become my wife."

* * *

><p>"For the first time ever, I'd like to introduce Dr. and Mrs. Malfoy!" Kingsley's voice echoed around the grounds and Draco leaned down to kiss Hermione again.<p>

Cheers erupted around them and Narcissa ran forward, throwing her arms around the happy couple. Draco put his arm around his mother, giving her a hug and a kiss on her forehead.

Draco and Hermione walked down the aisle, smiling and posing for quick pictures. Everyone stood up, mingling amongst each other and greeting the newlywed couple with their congratulations. Draco and Hermione walked around the gardens, heading toward the reception area, saying hello to their friends and family.

"Come on," Narcissa said. Her voice rang loud and clear. "Pictures, Draco, Hermione. Come here." She directed them to a spot in the garden. "Stand there, Draco. You too, Hermione."

Draco and Hermione hurried to the spot where Narcissa directed them. They stood for a long time, posing in a myriad of different ways for the camera—Muggle and wizard, alike. They were soon joined by Ginny and Blaise, as the matron of honor and best man, and later joined by Narcissa, Andromeda, Teddy, James, Harry, and Pansy.

"I'm hungry," whined Hermione in Draco's ear.

Draco laughed and kissed his new wife. "Me too," he whispered.

"All right, last one," the photographer said.

"Finally!" Draco and Hermione said in matching exasperated voices.

The photographer chuckled and quickly took their picture. "You're free to go now. Congratulations, again."

"Thank you," Draco said, shaking his hand. He led Hermione to the reception area, where they were the last ones to arrive and greeted with cheers and catcalls. A loud ringing echoed around them, brought on by the clanging of the spoons against the glasses.

Draco grinned at the small and crowd and pulled Hermione close. He leaned down and kissed her deeply to the cheers around them again. He gestured to their table and they both quickly sat down to finally begin eating. Draco took the gardenia from Hermione's bouquet and held it for a bit. He glanced at her with a slight smile.

"Your parents were here, you know that, right?" he said, holding up the gardenia.

Hermione's eyes shone brightly with tears as she took bites of her food. She nodded. "Yes, I know. They're happy with you, too."

Draco grinned. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

They resumed their meal, talking about their evenings and mornings spent without each other. Draco told Hermione about how Blaise tried to get him and Harry to go out and celebrate the last night of his bachelorhood, but Draco and Harry tricked him into staying at the Manor, just spending the evening playing poker. Hermione told Draco about how she, Ginny, and Pansy went out to a Muggle bar and had to quickly leave because Pansy nearly used her magic in public as if she had never been around Muggles before.

"I almost cast a spell on her so she wouldn't slip up today," Hermione said, laughing as she recounted the story.

Draco shook his head, laughing. "Those two…they are quite the pair, aren't they?"

Hermione laughed and nodded. She looked around the gardens, happy that everyone seemed to be smiling and having a good time. "I suppose we should make our rounds now that we've finished eating."

"Can't we just tell everyone to leave and make use of our bedroom?"

Hermione smirked and kissed his cheek. "I wish. But I love them and I know you do, too."

Draco just smiled and kissed her. He pulled her chair out and helped her up from her seat. They made their way around the tables, exchanging pleasantries and taking pictures.

When they approached the table where Draco's hospital co-workers sat, Draco held his arms out to Amanda, taking the baby from her. He nodded and said to everyone around the table before holding the baby before him.

"Anna Banana!" he exclaimed, cooing at her.

Hermione smiled at the sight. She gave Amanda a long hug.

"Congratulations!" Amanda exclaimed, hugging Hermione tightly. "I'm so happy for you guys! Especially now that it's official!"

"Thanks, Amanda!" exclaimed Hermione.

"And the Post-It was official!" added Draco.

"Whatever. It was just an excuse for the pair of you to act as husband and wife." Amanda hugged Draco with one arm and pinched her daughter's cheeks. "For some reason, she likes you."

"No, she loves me, LA." Draco kissed Anna's cheeks. Anna gurgled happily. "See? She loves me."

Amanda rolled her eyes as James came teetering towards them. Hermione quickly bent down and scooped him up in her arms and looked around for his parents. She waved Ginny down, showing that she had him. Ginny nodded and smiled.

"James, do you remember baby Anna?" she asked, holding James' hand and pointing it toward the baby.

James looked up at Hermione and back at Anna with curiousity written all over his young face. He leaned forward and stared at the little girl in wonder. Hermione, Draco, and Amanda laughed.

"I'm going to run to the loo," Amanda said. "I'll be back." She looked around and headed for the house to use the restroom.

Draco, still holding the baby, gave a nod to Eric and led Hermione and James to a quieter corner of the gardens. They sat on a bench and Hermione played with James amongst the flowers while Draco held on to Anna. Hermione and James were playing hide and seek when someone approached them from the shadows.

Draco stood up protectively, but pulled back when he saw who it was and angrily narrowed his eyes at the new arrival.

"It's mine and Hermione's wedding day, Weasley," Draco growled in a low voice. He held Anna tighter. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Draco!" scolded Hermione. She scooped James up in her arms, who started to whimper, and rubbed his back. She stood next to Draco and leaned into him. "What are you doing here, Ron?"

Ron looked embarrassed and turned red. He looked down and shoveled his toe into the grass. "I just…can I talk to you, Hermione? Erm…alone?"

"No, Weasley," Draco said, possessively. "She's my wife. Whatever you say to her, you say to me."

Ron glanced up and gave Draco a dirty look. He looked at Hermione pleadingly.

She shook her head at him and moved James onto her hip. He buried his face in her shoulder, a bit scared of the new arrival. "He's right, Ron. Draco's my husband now and whatever you say to me, I'm going to tell him anyway," she said in a kind voice.

James turned his head up to look at the uncle he didn't know and immediately buried his face into Hermione's shoulder again.

"Is this…is this Harry and Ginny's son?" Ron asked.

"James," Draco answered, pointedly. "That's his name. James. And yes, this is him."

James looked up again when he heard his name and whimpered when he saw Ron looking at him. He reached his arms up to Draco, who readjusted Anna into one arm and took James in the other. James quickly buried his face into Draco's neck and Hermione stood beside them, with her hand on his back.

"What did you need, Ron?" Hermione asked.

"I just…" He cast Draco an uncomfortable look before continuing on. "I was going to surprise my family today, so I came home. When I got to the Burrow, I saw…I saw the invitation on the counter. I guess, I just wanted to say…" He sighed loudly, clearly not wanting to complete his statement. "I'm letting you go, Hermione. You're obviously…happy with…Malfoy, so—so I'm letting you go."

"Well, thank you, Ronald." Hermione looked a bit taken aback at Ron's declaration. She gave him a small, encouraging smile.

Ron looked at Draco in defeat. "I guess you win, Malfoy." He gestured to Hermione. "You win her."

"Hermione's not anyone to win, Weasley," Draco angrily said. He felt James squirm in his arm and immediately regretted his tone. "She's not a trophy and she's certainly not anyone's property to win or lose."

Ron turned even more red. Draco could tell that he hated being proved wrong by him, of all people. James moved in Draco's arm and looked up. He placed a hand on Draco's cheek.

Draco looked down and smiled at his godson. "James," he said. "This is your uncle." He looked back at Ron. "You really should get to know him. Your nephew." James buried his face in Draco's neck again.

"Ron…" said Hermione. "I think you should go. But I hope we can be friends. We have been through a lot together and it would be such a shame if it was all flushed down the toilet."

Ron nodded and gave her a hopeful smile. "I'd like that, Hermione." He looked at Draco and gave him a small nod, but said nothing as he walked away toward the Manor gates.

Hermione turned to Draco and tried to pry James from Draco's arm. He wouldn't budge and she gave up, instead taking Anna from Draco's other arm and snuggled her close.

"Thank you," she said, grinning up at him.

"You're welcome," Draco answered. He sat on the bench and bounced James on his knee and nodded to the seat next to him. Hermione sat down and rocked Anna. "For what?"

"For what you said to Ron." Hermione kissed Draco deeply. "About me not being a trophy." She kissed him again.

James looked up at them and grinned. Draco laughed and ruffled his untidy hair. "I think James—"

"Where have you two been?" Narcissa's shrill voice interrupted them. "It's your wedding day and the two of you are hiding here? You are supposed to be out there, entertaining your guests!"

Draco and Hermone exchanged a glance.

"Get out there!" Narcissa cried out, gently pushing them back towards the reception. "Hurry!"

Once Draco and Hermione emerged from the corner of the gardens, Ginny hurried over to them.

"I saw Ron leaving, what did he do?" she asked, not giving any other greeting. James reached for her and she took him into her arms.

"He was…letting me go," Hermione answered with a strange look toward Draco. Draco raised an eyebrow and took Anna from Hermione's hands. He went over to Amanda and Eric and handed Anna back to them and sat for a bit, talking to his friends.

"What?" Ginny looked confused. "When did he even get here? I thought he was still in Romania."

"Today, he came back today," Hermione answered.

"Who came back today?" Pansy asked, approaching them. She handed Ginny and Hermione a glass of champagne. "Weasley? I saw him leaving."

"Did everyone see him?" Hermione asked, exasperated. She drained the champagne in one gulp.

Ginny and Pansy exchanged a glance. "Maybe."

"So he really said he was going to let you go?" Ginny asked.

"That's what he said?" asked Pansy.

Hermione nodded. She told them what happened between her, Draco, and Ron.

"Good thing Draco and James were there," Pansy said in a teasing voice. "Otherwise, he might've tried to sweep you off your feet. And we could've seen the brawl of the century. My money's on Draco. He can be very underhanded, even though he's changed. You know, Slytherin ways and all."

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Whatever, Pansy."

Pansy laughed and rubbed James' back. She made a goofy face at him. "Hey, Ginny, at least James isn't an illegitimate godson to Draco and Hermione anymore."

Ginny laughed. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Ginny!" Narcissa called out to her, beckoning her forward. "Put James down, it's time for your speech! Hermione, find Draco and stand beside him."

Ginny nodded and handed an unwilling James to Pansy. Pansy swung him around, causing him to erupt in laughter, while Hermione sought her new husband, who was now talking to Harry and George.

"Hey, husband," Hermione said, sidling up to Draco. "Mum said they're doing the speeches now, so she directed me to stand beside you."

Draco nodded and gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek, but finished his story to Harry and George. He was evidently telling them about Ron crashing the wedding. He nodded at them as he and Hermione headed back for their seats and sat down. Draco took a long sip of firewhiskey and passed the glass to Hermione. She took a sip and leaned into Draco's arm, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. Draco wrapped an arm around Hermione's waist and pulled her close.

Ginny stood on the stage and cleared her throat. "Excuse me, everyone, maid of honor about to speak here!" All the chattering around the gardens stopped at once. Ginny grinned. "Thank you! I always wanted to silence a room."

"Oh, Merlin!" snorted Pansy.

A ripple of laughter echoed in the gardens.

Ginny narrowed her eyes at her. "Well, like I was saying, maid of honor about to speak here. I'm Ginny Potter and Hermione has been one of my best friends for as long as I can remember. She is like a sister to me. Draco, on the otherhand, I hated until the day my son was born. Still do sometimes, but my son adores him."

"Hey!" called out Draco.

Everyone laughed.

"Just kidding, Draco," Ginny said, grinning. "Anyway, I've known Hermione for a long time and I have to say that I have never seen her happier than when I've seen her with Draco. They really complete each other, although I never would've guessed it was so before. But I guess that's what life is about. Growing and learning from our past. And there is no one that's learned that lesson more than Draco and Hermione. They are happy with one another, they love each other, and most importantly, they understand each other. I know that Draco would always love and protect the girl that I've come to see as my sister, although Hermione would probably protect him better than he could protect her." Everyone laughed again. "And I know that he will do everything in his power to make her happy. I love both of you and I wish you both all the happiness in the world." She held up her champagne glass. "To Draco and Hermione and a life full of joy."

Everyone in the gardens raised their glasses and repeated what Ginny said.

"And might I say, that Post-It does NOT count!" Everyone laughed again and Narcissa nodded vehemently. Ginny smiled and waved at everyone before passing the microphone to Blaise.

Blaise grinned at everyone in the garden and drained his firewhiskey. He held up his glass before setting it on a nearby table. "I would just like to point out that I firmly believe that the Post-It was real." He winked at Draco and Hermione and readjusted his tie. "So what can I say that hasn't already been said?" He flashed a smile at everyone. "I just thank Draco for not dragging out asking Hermione to marry him as he did to declare his love for her."

Pansy and Ginny shouted their agreements.

"See, they agree with me," Blaise told the room with a smile. "Hermione came back into Draco's life unexpectedly and completely shook up his world. I'm sure his doctor friends will agree with me when I say that when Hermione came back into Draco's life, he changed. Not completely and not in a bad way, but all of a sudden, he had lunch dates and movie dates…he finally had a life outside the hospital."

"That's for sure," murmured Amanda.

Draco shot her a dirty look and she stuck her tongue at him.

Blaise grinned and nodded and pointed to her. "Yes, Amanda knows!" He laughed. "But, seriously, the circumstances may not have been the best when Draco and Hermione reconnected, but I have a firm belief that they helped each other. They needed each other then and like Ginny said, they complete each other now. Draco, I'm glad you finally decided to settle down. Hermione, I'm infinitely more happy that you are the one that Draco decided to settle down with. You're the only one who keeps up with him and the only one who can handle him. Hermione, Draco, I wish you the best and a lifetime of happiness. Congratulations to you both. May you have more…Post-It weddings in the future."

Draco and Hermione led everyone in an applause, but were interrupted by the sudden clanging of glasses. They leaned into each other and gave one another a long kiss.

After the speeches were through, it seemed as though all formalities went out the window. The band struck up a series of fun and upbeat songs and Draco took his new wife out on the dance floor, surrounded by the rest of their friends and family. The reception ended well into the morning and Draco and Hermione happily waved everyone goodbye.

"Finally," Draco whispered, pulling his wife close. They stood in the entrance hall and gave each other a gentle kiss. Draco smiled and rubbed her arms up and down.

"Finally," Hermione repeated. She wrapped her arms around her husband's neck and hugged him tight. "I love you, you know that?"

"I love you, too. Wife."

Hermione grinned. "I like the sound of that."

"What? The 'I love you?' Or the 'wife' part?"

She kissed his jaw and moved closer to him. "Both. Thank you. Husband."

Draco grinned. "You really need to stop, you know that?"

"What?"

"Thanking me. I love you, I'd do anything for you." He kissed her. "So you could stop thanking me." He took her hand and started to lead her up the stairs. "Let's go and enjoy our wedding night, shall we?"

Hermione laughed and followed him closely. "Nobody's walking in on us this time, are they?"

"Already put up the Anti-Apparition Charms and Locking Charms. Nobody's getting in this time."

Hermione grinned and ran up the stairs, dragging Draco behind her.

* * *

><p>Please review and let me know what you all think! Almost done!<p> 


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